After Hassan Whiteside decided to re-sign with the Miami Heat and avoid the Dallas Mavericks, the Memphis Grizzlies are in an “ultra strong” position to re-sign Mike Conley in NBA free agency.
Keeping Mikey Conley is the fundamental part of NBA free agency for the Memphis Grizzlies. With an aging roster that dealt with so many changes and injuries last season, not to mention limited opportunities for them on the market, Conley’s value as their floor general and top defensive point guard has never been higher.
His value to other teams in need of a point guard has also never been higher. With the salary cap hitting $94 million, very few noteworthy free agent point guards, and crazy deals already taking place, highlighted by Timofey Mozgov’s four-year, $64 million contract with the Lakers, Conley is easily worth a max contract as the clear-cut best point guard available.
After Hassan Whiteside’s decision to re-sign with the Miami Heat, the Grizzlies are once again in an “ultra strong” position to keep Conley, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein.
ESPN sources say Mike Conley still lasered in on Memphis and Dallas ... with the Grizz in an ultra-strong position after Whiteside stays put
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 1, 2016
As Stein added, Conley is still looking at the Mavericks and Grizzlies over other teams. However, a major reason why Conley was considering Dallas to begin with is because they were briefly considered as the favorite to sign Whiteside, which would have given him a deadly partner and pick-and-roll accomplice.
Chandler Parsons was always certain he'd get a max offer, which is why he felt disrespected by Dallas trying to get him to take much less.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) July 1, 2016
After Whiteside re-signed with the Heat, though, and with continuing doubt from the Mavs about keeping Chandler Parsons, who insists he’s worth a max contract, Dallas looks far less intriguing for Conley now.
Thankfully for the Grizzlies, this gives them a significant advantage in the pursuit of Conley and should encourage him to re-sign for his love of the city, his partnership with Marc Gasol, and the chance to improve going forward if the team can get healthy and make the other adjustments needed.
Without him, the Grizzlies’ future looks even more bleak.
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