The Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks have mutually beneficial pieces for the present of one and the future of the other.
Two years ago, 14,727 fans packed into New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center to watch the NBA’s All-Stars razzle dazzle each other on offense and try to avoid injuries on defense. The East and the West combined for 318 total points, the world’s top players hooked up for eclectic alley-oop combinations, and the halftime show featured some of New Orleans’ grooviest musicians.
One thing, however, was missing from this night: Mike Conley. By the All-Star break, Conley was averaging 18 points and 6.3 assists per game. More important, his Memphis Grizzlies won 15 of their last 20 games. This run began when Conley returned from a thigh injury, which played a large role in their previous five-game losing streak.
Those personal stats along with the proven importance to his team’s success should have earned Conley a trip to New Orleans. But they didn’t and Conley’s game has since marginally regressed to that of a very good but not great point guard. Although he hasn’t been playing All-Star basketball since that stretch, he has been pretty darn close, and that’s all the Knicks need to morph into legitimate playoff contenders.
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Conley gets to experience unrestricted free agency this summer and the Grizzlies, who throughout Conley’s career have seemed one self-reliant scorer away from escaping the doldrums of the Western Conference’s second tier, might lose their starting point guard of nine years.
Daily Knicks
The New York Knicks have been very open about their needs at the point guard position and a trade can be a-brewin’ here. The Knicks have pieces that can at least attract the attention of the Grizzlies’ front office as the Grizzlies cannot afford to lose Conley without compensation.
Considering Conley will be able to demand a near-max contract, the Grizzlies might benefit from letting him walk and replacing him with an 11-point, five-assist type point guard (think T.J. McConnell or Jameer Nelson) and spending a greater portion of their cap on a free-agent scorer (think Bradley Beal or Chandler Parsons).
That said, especially as a small-market team, the game of faith is a risky maneuver entering free agency with your top two players under contract on the downhill side of the 30-year-old hump. It may consequently be in their best interest to make a deal while they can.
After fiddling around with ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine, I completed a trade that makes financial and basketball sense for both teams.
The Grizzlies send the Knicks their much-needed point guard in Conley, and the Knicks reciprocate by sending the Grizzlies a decent point guard who doesnt make mistakes (Jose Calderon), a promising 6’8” scorer (Lance Thomas), and a prospect with freakish genes (Thanasis Antetokounmpo).
This also leaves the Grizzlies with enough cap room to sign a max free agent this summer instead of overpaying for what has already failed to take them to the Finals.
There’s no need to justify this on the Knicks’ side. Giving up Thomas might leave a scab, but without any further proof that he might develop into a star, he is highly replaceable for the Knicks. As entertaining as Thomas’ acclimation to the NBA game has been, this deal would keep Derrick Williams on the court for heftier chunks of time. Williams is three years Thomas’ junior and lineups that feature him allow four fewer points per 100 possessions that rosters with Thomas.
Come season’s end, however, the Knicks would need to be willing to shell out Big Apple bucks to retain Conley’s services. The Knicks doing is far less abhorrent than the Grizzlies doing so. The Knicks already have their star in Carmelo Anthony and a sweet supporting cast at the shooting guard, power forward, and center positions.
Conley’s mere averages would bolster the supporting cast’s productivity. The Knicks currently rank 24th in assists per game at 20.5, mostly because their assist leader, Melo, dishes 4.2 per game – fantastic averages for someone with the reputation as a pure scorer, but not so fantastic for a team leader.
Conley has averaged more than six assists per game over the past six years, and is entering his physical prime at 28 years old.
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The benefits are obvious, but can the Knicks’ bait pique the Grizzlies’ interest?