Memphis Grizzlies: The Key To Mike Conley’s Free Agency
The future of the Memphis Grizzlies hinges on the return of Mike Conley, but recent reports have suggested that the possibility of him returning isn’t as sure as it once was.
There’s only one thing that’s on the mind of the Memphis Grizzlies organization this summer and that’s the free agency of Mike Conley.
For much of the season, the sense around Conley’s upcoming free agency was generally viewed as anti-climactic as it felt like it was already set in stone that he’d re-sign with the team once the free agency period began.
Now with the opening of this year’s free agency only two weeks away, what was once viewed as a foregone conclusion is starting to become anything but when it comes to Conley’s future in Memphis.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, some within the Grizzlies’ front office are starting to feel wary over whether Conley re-signs with the team this summer:
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"Here’s a bit of potentially good news for those Knicks fans interested in free agent Mike Conley: some members of the Grizzlies front office are growing a bit concerned about the possibility of Conley leaving in free agency, per a source with knowledge of the situation."
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Similarly, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports that the cause of concern for Conley is over the Grizzlies’ ability to bolster their roster in hopes of becoming a contender:
"The narrative all season around Conley was that he was staying in Memphis. However, sources close to Conley’s camp said recently that Conley is more open to new situations than anyone in Memphis would be comfortable with.The narrative from those sources is that Conley is concerned that the Grizzlies cannot add enough to the roster to get them seriously into championship status and if that does not happen, he’s not willing to tie his career to Memphis in the long-term."
While the Grizzlies obviously have an advantage by being able to offer a higher max salary as well as an extra year versus opposing teams, Conley’s reported concern on the long-term outlook of the franchise and their chances of establishing themselves as a contender is the big key in his decision making.
The Grizzlies’ roster obviously went through a major upheaval this season, primarily due to the long string of injuries that occurred over the latter half of the year, which included Conley himself.
However, the questions over the team’s long-term foundation still remain and that’s hard to ignore from Conley’s perspective. Couple that with the team lacking a base of young, athletic talent and you can see why Conley’s concern is justified.
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Thereby lies the problem for the Grizzlies.
It’s very clear that Conley will be highly sought after this offseason as he’s in the top-tier of free agents available during this year’s free agency period. With the salary cap exploding significantly as well, Conley is guaranteed of earning max money if he’s interested in moving elsewhere.
Again, the Grizzlies do have an upper hand with what they can offer Conley from a financial standpoint compared to opposing teams. With that said, it’s hard to say whether they can offer the contending situation that Conley seemingly desires.
That key detail puts the Grizzlies in a tough spot and they will have to prepare for the unexpected when it comes to Conley’s free agent decision. Of course, anything is possible, but the Grizzlies will have to do everything in their power in hopes of swaying Conley into staying in Memphis.
This is not to say things have drastically changed for the Grizzlies’ chances to retain Conley, but it’s looking more up in the air than most, if not all thought just mere months ago.
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How it all unfolds will be fascinating to watch and if worse comes to worst, the Grizzlies will have plenty of decisions to weigh in the months to come.