5 free agency destinations for Mike Conley

Could Mike Conley stands as the last piece in the puzzle to get the New York Knicks back to being great again? Maybe not exactly, but if he were to sign with the Knicks this summer in free agency, New York would have a strong foundation of Conley, small forward Carmelo Anthony, and power forward Kristaps Porzingis. With the right head coach coming in 2016, isn’t that kind of a Big Three in the Big Apple?

While many tabbed Anthony as the next basketball savior for the downtrodden Knicks, he’s never been a great team player. Porzingis has Madison Square Garden gushing with pride about the blinding bright future of their 7’3″ stretch five.

However when the Knicks have been a great team, they’ve great point guard play. Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier and John Starks were focal points in the two great eras of Knicks basketball in the modern era of the NBA. Yes, the Knicks had Willis Reed and Patrick Ewing at center, but point guard is what drives the New York engine at MSG.

It seems like the Knicks are going to answer their biggest limitation at point guard this offseason. Does Conley have any interest in running the Triangle Offense under a Phil Jackson protegé at head coach in 2016? It’s not ideal, but he has enough basketball intelligence to lead a contending team on both ends of the floor.

The Grizzlies may be able to offer Conley more money and that extra year because of Bird Rights, but the allure of being the starting point guard for the Knicks might be too good of an opportunity to pass up. He’ll be an All-Star in the East in 2017 without question if he joins the Knicks. If Conley helps the Knicks become a perennial Eastern Conference Finals threat, he’ll be revered by basketball fans all around the Big Apple.

His poise and confidence would bring a great deal stability to a tumultuous organization in the Knicks. Conley has the talent, the experience, and the mental makeup to make New York great again if he is so inclined to do so.