The Memphis Grizzlies face a big summer coming up, as their starting point guard Mike Conley will become an unrestricted free agent and should garner a lot of interest around the league. Despite all of the interest he is expected to get, the Grizzlies remain confident that Conley will remain in Memphis, according to SiriusXM NBA Radio.
The Grizzlies have made it clear that retaining Conley is their number one priority this offseason. They have also said that they will do everything in their power to convince him to stay. Vice president of basketball operations Ed Stefanski reiterated as much Thursday morning.
"We love Mike Conley he's one of the best PGs out there. We intend to do everything we can to keep him. He'll go on free agent tours but when it's all said and done I fully expect him to be in a Grizzlies uniform," said Stefanski.
Conley's free agency is extremely interesting to look at because the Grizzlies seem to have hit their peak with their current roster. Conley would love to go somewhere he could immediately compete for a championship, but he also loves Memphis. Memphis will likely continue to be a playoff team in the foreseeable future, but their ceiling is not quite at championship level.
Conley's former coach Lionel Hollins believes that his main goal is to get paid this summer, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York. The Grizzlies will be able to offer him more money than any other team, but he will be courted by bigger market teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat and New York Knicks. Many people believe that Conley will at least be tempted by those offers from the big market teams, and he himself has said "everything is on the table."
The Grizzlies confidence in retaining Conley is not unwarranted, as they are still the huge favorites and have many advantages in keeping him. Having said that, Conley staying in Memphis isn't the lock many people thought it would be, and he is wise to consider his options. Conley is in his prime and doesn't want to waste those prime years being eliminated in the first or second round of the playoffs annually. Going elsewhere might be the move that gives Conley the best chance to win, but the money and the familiarity in Memphis may be too much to pass up for him in the end.
