The Milwaukee Bucks signed free agent guard O.J. Mayo on Saturday, hoping he will add some much-needed offensive punch to a roster that is searching for some after a summer of upheaval.

The Bucks agreed to terms on a three-year, $24 million contract with Mayo last week. But thanks to a series of moves that general manager John Hammond has in the works, the Bucks had to wait until Saturday to make the contract official.

The 25-year-old Mayo averaged 15.3 points for the Dallas Mavericks last season, and he should have no trouble finding shots in this new-look Bucks lineup.

Hammond executed a sign-and-trade deal with the Suns and Clippers that sent J.J. Redick to Los Angeles and Monta Ellis could soon be following Redick out the door in Milwaukee.

Ellis is reportedly set to join the Mavericks in Mayo's place and the Bucks appeared to be moving on from the other half of their shoot-first backcourt when they signed restricted free agent point guard Jeff Teague, who played for new coach Larry Drew in Atlanta, to an offer sheet to replace Brandon Jennings.

But the Hawks matched that deal on Saturday night, leaving Milwaukee with few options for a starting point guard beyond Jennings, who has played the first four years of his career with the Bucks.

Ellis and Jennings were far and away the leaders in field goal attempts for the Bucks last season, and with neither one guaranteed to return Mayo should get plenty of opportunities to show that he is capable of carrying the scoring load for an entire season.

After spending his first four seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, Mayo hoped to cash in big on the free-agent market last summer. But the money dried up quickly across the league, and he wound up taking a deal with the Mavericks that paid him more than $4 million last season.

Mayo was inundated with attention when the market opened on July 1, speaking to the Timberwolves, Clippers, Bucks and several other teams.

Associated Press

(China Daily 07/15/2013 page24)