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Darren Wolfson reported today on twitter that Flip Saunders likes Dallas Mavericks shooting guard O.J. Mayo, and is expected to pursue him this off-season:
Wolves missed previous shot at pursuing FA shooting guard O.J. Mayo. I expect them to go after him hard this time.
@MyFansanity Correct. Tweeted that last week. Writing a note on that for tomorrow. Multiple people say Flip likes Mayo.
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@DarrenWolfson Mayo has had about 3 above average months in his whole career. This is not a good first step. -
@MyFansanity I'm sure there are others he likes. I just have that name from a few people. Creating the necessary cap space an issue too. -
@DarrenWolfson exactly. Pursuing Mayo would mean passing on Bud or Pek.#Priorities -
@MyFansanity or praying AK declines his player option. There are ways to create space, but Mayo would be a tricky one to sign. -
@DarrenWolfson Mayo worries me. Carlisle got pretty upset with his effort at the end of the season.
Kevin Myers 
Darren Wolfson 
Wile E Coyote
Sigh. And I thought we dodged a bullet when David Kahn didn't sign him.
After failing to find a team that was interested in signing him to a long-term contract, Mayo agreed to a two year deal worth just over $4M a year with the Mavericks last summer after spending his first four seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies. The second year is a player option, and Mayo is expected to opt out and search for a bigger deal.
The desire for Mayo, whose main positive attributes are that he's durable and a fairly effective 3-point shooter, shows a disturbing lack of creativity and understanding of advanced metrics. It strikes me that Mayo is exactly the kind of player Flip liked when he coached the Wolves: guys who look good taking mid-range jumpers. He's a poor defensive player who doesn't get to the free throw line often enough to make him a particularly efficient scorer. Wins Produced shows Mayo as a consistently below average performer, with 2012-13 being one of his strongest seasons because he bettered his career shooting percentages. He still couldn't post an above average score. Win Shares tells a similar story.
As we discussed at length in yesterday's Salary Cap thread, the Timberwolves are unlikely to have cap space available to them, especially if they prioritize their own free agents, Nikola Pekovic, Chase Budinger, and perhaps Andrei Kirilenko. Choosing to pursue Mayo instead would make the situation even more grating. O.J. Mayo simply does not deserve the Wolves' scarce resources before any of those three.
But I couldn't be more thrilled that Glen Taylor is comfortable.