Mike Conley has played his entire career with the Memphis Grizzlies, and sources say that is likely to continue.
The Memphis Grizzlies selected Mike Conley with the fourth overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft, plucking the young guard out of Ohio State University. Since then, Conley has established himself as one of the better point guards in the league, and he is on the wish list of plenty of NBA teams this off-season.
However, ESPN’s Marc Stein reported that Conley may just be staying put.
Two sources close to the talks expect Mike Conley to have a firm agreement with Memphis on a five-year deal by tonight or Saturday AM latest
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 1, 2016
The five-year deal will likely keep Conley in a Grizzlies’ jersey for the rest of his prime, as the 28-year old guard has already played nine seasons in the NBA. If he does finish his career in Memphis, he will likely see his #11 retired one day.
Heading into the 2016-17 season, Conley already leads the organization in multiple career statistics. He is the organizational leader in games played (637), minutes (20,693), assists (3,578), and steals (963), and his 8,635 points rank him only behind Pau Gasol (8966) as the all-time scoring leader.
Last season, Conley was awarded the NBA Sportsmanship Award for the second time in his career.
In other Grizzlies news, the team has agreed to a max contract with free agent forward Chandler Parsons, giving the team another solid forward to team with Zach Randolph. Playing for coach David Fizdale played a big factor in his decision.
“I really believed in Coach Fiz,” Parsons told ESPN in a text message, explaining his decision to commit to Memphis. “Nobody in the league has coached better wings than him. I trust J.B. with my life. They have nobody like me, and their veteran, experienced players are a perfect fit with me.”
Parsons also said his decision was based on the expectation that Conley would be back with the team.
If the Grizzlies lock up Conley, they could be a major player in the Western Conference next season.
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