Dallas Mavericks: Breaking Down A Potential Conley/Whiteside Summer

Mike Conley

Let’s be honest. Mike Conley is one of the best free agents on the market this summer and easily the best point guard available, with his only competition coming in the form of Rajon Rondo and Deron Williams.

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Conley’s situation with the Grizzlies has been great over the course of his career. He’s played all nine seasons of his career with the team that drafted him in 2007 and has served as a solid player both offensively and defensively.

However, even though the team has built a great atmosphere in Memphis and compiled a great core consisting of Tony Allen, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, they’ve struggled to make any progress in the playoffs.

Conley’s first trip to the postseason came in 2010-11, when the team upset the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. They’ve been to the playoffs every year since then but have failed to have much success, with a mixture of first and second round exits surrounding a sweep in the conference finals back in 2012-13.

Now, the 28-year-old is in the middle of his prime and wants a change of scenery. The Grizzlies have gone on the record as being concerned about their future with their star guard.

Why would he choose Dallas?

Conley has already made it known that he’s interested in signing with both the Mavs and Spurs. His reason for wanting to sign with the Spurs is obvious, but according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Conley’s interest in the Mavs stems from his respect for Rick Carlisle.

The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks were two other possible options but after their trades for Jeff Teague and Derrick Rose, they no longer need a point guard. We know Conley’s most likely going to demand a max contract wherever he goes, so why would he choose Dallas over San Antonio?

Besides the option of playing next to Dirk Nowitzki and operating under Rick Carlisle, the Mavs provide a much better opportunity at playing more minutes, even if their championship chances may not be as high.

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The Spurs already have Tony Parker and Patty Mills signed on for next season, plus they just drafted point guard Dejounte Murray out of Washington.

Conley’s not capable of playing the shooting guard position and I find it hard to believe he would get more minutes than Parker, even though his retirement is not too far down the road. Sure, Conley could go to San Antonio and compete for a championship, but he would be wasting away his prime years with reduced minutes in that situation.

His health issues are also a concern and head athletic trainer Casey Smith is one reason why Dallas would maximize his skills.

The Mavs are willing to hand him a max contract, and he would have his best shot at leading a team and creating a contender in Dallas rather than going to an already stacked team in San Antonio.

What would he do for the Mavs?

The main skill that Conley would add to the Mavs is defense. He’s played on a many great defensive teams in Memphis and his hard-nosed style makes him a better point guard defender than many of the Mavs players in the past 5-6 seasons.

Last year, he averaged 15.3 points per game and 6.1 assists per game. While he’s not at the level of Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul or Stephen Curry, Conley is one of the best second-tier point guards in the game.

He is a great two-way player that can be relied on in clutch situations. While he’s not the type of guy that likes to drive the lane and finish with a dazzling layup, he is great at getting inside and tossing up a near-perfect floater.

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