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Milwaukee Bucks: Signing O.J. Mayo might make sense next summer

By Ti Windisch

MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 2: O.J. Mayo #3 of the Milwaukee Bucks high fives teamamtes during the game against the Indiana Pacers on March 2, 2016 at BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 2: O.J. Mayo #3 of the Milwaukee Bucks high fives teamamtes during the game against the Indiana Pacers on March 2, 2016 at BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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He can’t be reinstated until next summer, but O.J. Mayo might be a logical signing for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018.

Sports Illustrated writer Ben Golliver did the seemingly impossible and found O.J. Mayo for an interview, which was featured in an article that SI published on Sunday. In that piece, the former Milwaukee Bucks guard had a lot of very interesting things to say.

Mayo came off as contrite, acknowledging his mistakes and not seeking anybody to blame for them aside from himself. He essentially apologized to the Bucks, saying he was “sub-par” despite the $8 million he made annually in Milwaukee.

Wrapped around that statement is the really interesting part: Uncle Juice is more than receptive to a potential return to the Milwaukee Bucks next year, when he’s (hopefully) reinstated from his NBA ban due to a violation of the banned substances policy. Here’s the full quote from Mayo:

"“I want to go back to what I left [in Milwaukee],” Mayo said, when asked for his dream destination. “I was real close with Jason Kidd. That was the best relationship I had with a coach besides [Dwaine Barnes]. I had great relationships with Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and Khris Middleton. I was comfortable there. I felt like I let them down, cheated them for two years. They paid me $8 million to be, in my eyes, a subpar player. They invested millions of dollars for me to be on top of my s—, and when you’re not on top of your s—, it shows. I’ll be 30 next summer. If they just give me the chance, I can make it up. I owe them.”"

There’s a lot to unpack here. Mayo smartly shares how close he is with two of the most important players on the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, as well as his good relationship with Milwaukee head coach Jason Kidd. He speaks frankly about not living up to his contract, and reminds readers that he’s been around, but he isn’t extremely old.

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It’s not often Milwaukee is cited as a dream destination. Mayo is no marquee free agent, but still, it’s somewhat fascinating that Mayo feels so strongly about making things right with the Bucks. His $24 million deal ended up being a clear overpay for a player who showed up to Milwaukee overweight and never played up to his standards, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a Bucks fan steaming about O.J. Mayo’s deal in 2017.

But while Milwaukee was moving on, Juice refused to take the easy road and do the same. That’s a cool thing. It feels like the right thing to do on the Bucks’ end to give him a shot at redemption, if he holds up his end of the deal and returns to NBA shape by the summer of 2018.

Enough of the moral stuff though — let’s look at this situation through a basketball lens, and a salary cap lens. On the basketball side of things, everything depends on how close to his old form Mayo can get.

Juice seems quite dedicated to becoming the best basketball player he can be, but a year is a long time. It’s easy to forget because it feels like it was so long ago, but Mayo was a fantastic offensive player in his first two NBA seasons.

Mayo averaged 18.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game across those two seasons. He shot 44.8 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from deep on 4.5 three-point attempts per game in that span.

It’s doubtful Juice ever averages 18 per game again in his career, but if he really does get back in shape there’s the makings of an effective bench scorer in him. The most intriguing part of that for Milwaukee would be the price the Bucks would have to pay.

Mayo’s NBA value has to be just about zero. In an era of teams either contending for championships or loading up on as many potential-packed 19-year-olds as they can, a 30-year-old shooting guard who hasn’t played an NBA game in years isn’t going to draw tons of big money offers, or even small money offers.

The Bucks could likely work out a deal that costs the veteran minimum with Mayo, making him incredibly cost-effective if Juice is able to serve as a reliable bench scorer. The Bucks will have three players entering free agency after next year in Greg Monroe, Spencer Hawes, and Gary Payton II.

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Rashad Vaughn could be on the way out too, if the Bucks decide not to exercise the team option on the fourth year of his deal. That leaves plenty of roster spots for Mayo to be signed, and his projected minimum deal would mean Milwaukee can automatically afford him.

What would the Bucks be getting for that price? In his last year with the Bucks, one marred by injuries and other problems, Mayo averaged 7.8 points per game on 37.1 percent field goal shooting and 32.1 percent three-point shooting.

When he was with the team, Mayo seemed like a capable leader who helped the team. That level of play, however, does not necessarily warrant a roster spot.

Next: Milwaukee Bucks: Michael Beasley didn’t want to re-sign

Mayo would be a gamble to be sure, but with lots of big contracts already signed and one for Jabari Parker pending, a low-risk gamble on O.J. Mayo might make sense for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018, especially if the Bucks brought him through the summer without guaranteeing his deal until the 2018-19 regular season began.

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