The Indiana Pacers were just a few moments past the trade deadline in 2011 when they tried trading for then-Memphis Grizzlies swingman O.J. Mayo.
The trade deadline often feels more like a formality than a hard and fast line. Sure, talks and everything ends at that time, but it rarely is the reason a trade falls through. In the case of O.J. Mayo, however, that deadline was the reason he didn’t join the Indiana Pacers roster.
If the deal would have gone through, the Pacers would have sent Josh McRoberts and a 2011 first round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for Mayo.
Of course, like many of these situations with front offices, we didn’t ever get the full story. According to ESPN at the time, the deal either fell apart at the last second or wasn’t finalized in time.
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There wasn’t a clear answer to which reason was the culprit, but the trade got to the point where then-Memphis owner Michael Heisley gave a quote to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, lamenting Mayo’s expected departure.
“O.J. has always been someone I thought highly of. It is with deep regret that I think we need to bring another power forward in. We’re overloaded at the two-three position. So I think it’s probably best for the Grizzlies and best for O.J. that he’ll get to play for a team where he can get a lot more minutes.”
Put perhaps the most interesting wrinkle in this was what that 2011 first round pick the Pacers would have packaged with McRoberts became.
We are back to the most important criticized move the Pacers made in recent history when they turned that 15th overall pick into George Hill and sent Leonard to San Antonio Spurs. People like to leave out that Indiana was picking for the Spurs, as the trade had already happened and neither Indiana nor San Antonio knew for sure who would be available at the 15th pick.
So if the trade would have happened, a certain set of Pacers fans might be bemoaning the fact — constantly — that the Pacers traded away Kawhi for Mayo. Of course, with Mayo now kicked out the NBA, Indiana wouldn’t even have Jeff Teague now to show for it.
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It is hard to known how Mayo would have changed the Pacers fortunes — for better or worse — but tomorrow is the sixth anniversary of that ‘what if’ in Indiana Pacers history.