Report: Suns will turn to Mayo if Gordon falls through

The Suns made it obvious that their number one target in
free agency was New Orleans guard Eric Gordon, but with
the Hornets set to match it may be time for option two.

And that, according to ESPN NBA insider Marc Stein, is
Memphis guard O.J. Mayo.

If Hornets match PHX
offer sheet to Eric Gordon, as they’ve vowed, desert
sources say this is definite: OJ Mayo will be courted hard
by Suns

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July
11, 2012

Mayo, drafted third overall by Minnesota in 2008 (and
traded to Memphis on draft night), has been a bit of an
underachiever throughout his career.

He has shown flashes of excellent scoring ability,
averaging 18.5 points per game as a rookie and 17.5 a
night his second year — but has been relegated to a
reserve role the last two seasons, leading his numbers to
drop.

At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Mayo has decent size, but
tends
to struggle on the defensive end as well, and one would
wonder if the Suns shifting attention towards him would go
against their pre-free agency idea of not spending money
just for the sake of spending money.

Unlike Gordon, though, Mayo is not a restricted free
agent, meaning there is no threat of a contract being
matched. If he agrees to a deal with Phoenix, that’s it.
He’s coming.

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