The Milwaukee Bucks entered the offseason with both players in their starting backcourt becoming free agents -- Monta Ellis is unrestricted and unlikely to return, while Brandon Jennings is restricted, and the team’s stated plan is to keep him by matching any offer he receives if necessary.
Replacing Ellis was the first order of business, however, and it appears the Bucks have done so with a less dynamic player, but at a far more reasonable price.
From Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:Free agent guard O.J. Mayo has agreed to a three-year, $24 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Mayo, 25, will be a replacement for the loss of guard J.J. Redick and the expected departure of Monta Ellis.
Mayo should be a nice piece to pair alongside Jennings, provided Milwaukee gets the consistent level of effort out of him that’s been lacking to this point in his career.
Mayo started out last season playing at a borderline All-Star level for the Mavericks while Dirk Nowitzki was out of the lineup due to injury. He averaged 20.9 points on 49.3 percent shooting over the first month of the season, but by March that dipped to 11.8 points per game, and all the way to 8.6 points per game over the final eight games of the season.
Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle had completely lost faith in Mayo by the end of the season, and ripped him publicly and comprehensively near its end once he had apparently had enough.
There was no chance Dallas was going to bring Mayo back in free agency, but perhaps another fresh start with the Bucks in a different situation will be a better match.