Suns courting of Gordon could help land Mayo
Jul 13, 2012, 9:36 PM | Updated: 10:41 pm
July 13, 2012: Suns welcome OJ Mayo to town
Unrestricted free agent shooting guard OJ Mayo is making Phoenix his first stop as he visits prospective employers for the upcoming 2012-2013 season.
His stay will include a tour of US Airways Center and may extend into Saturday, which also happens to be the day the Hornets must make a decision on Eric Gordon. Do they match the Suns max contract offer? They’re expected to but will take their time in announcing their intentions.
So, if Gordon is lost, what do the Suns do next?
Answer: They put the full-court press on to recruit Mayo to Planet Orange.
And Gordon may help in those efforts.
The Suns not only made Gordon feel welcome and wanted but made him an offer that will pay him—regardless of team, $58 million over four years.
What player wouldn’t appreciate that from a team?
What agent wouldn’t appreciate that from a team?
It just so happens Gordon and Mayo are both represented by Rob Pelinka. (His agency also has Channing Frye and former ASU Sun Devil James Harden as clients.)
Last week the Suns benefited from an agent representing multiple players.
When Steve Nash was traded to the Lakers, the Suns replaced him later that same day with Goran Dragic. Both players were represented by Bill Duffy.
And should Pelinka help facilitate a similiar type effort, the Suns would then have both the #2 (Michael Beasley) and #3 (Mayo) overall picks in the 2008 NBA Draft on the court together.
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Markieff Morris and Kendall Marshall are the headliners but the Suns coaching staff is keeping its eyes on several players from the 14-man summer league team that leaves for Las Vegas Saturday.
“(PJ Tucker has) done a great job of helping set the tone of intensity and toughness in practice. I like what he’s done,” said Suns director or player personnel John Treloar after practice Friday, the third and final day of two-a-days.
“(Tucker is) a guy after my own heart,” said summer league head coach Dan Majerle of the former 2006 second round pick. “He’s just tough as nails, does whatever you ask, plays extremely hard.”
Former lottery pick Patrick O’Bryant, a 7-foot center who has been out of the NBA since 2010, is another intriguing player.
“It’s a two-week period for us to evaluate them in our environment,” said Treloar of the entire roster. “We’ve evaluated them wherever they’ve been playing: overseas or D-League. Now, it gives us another week to see them.”
The Suns play their first game Sunday against the New York Knicks.