The Memphis Grizzlies have been a consistent force in the Western Conference for quite some time now as they have been able to keep their solid core together. Now, though, their future is in as much flux as it has been in recent memory, and what the team will look like next season is a major question mark.
Marc Gasol broke his foot this season, and although the Grizzlies feel it won't effect him moving forward, that is impossible to know right now. At least with Gasol Memphis knows he will be around for the next few years; the same cannot be said of Mike Conley who will become a highly sought-after free agent this summer.
Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace has made it clear that he feels Conley will return. Wallace has said that Memphis always keeps its core guys, and it expects to do the same thing with Conley. That confidence from Wallace is admirable, but it may not be rooted in truth with regards to Conley.
The 28-year-old point guard has not given any indication as to what his thought process is other than the fact that he is looking forward to being a free agent. The Grizzlies are expected to do everything they can to retain Conley, and they still may be the favorites, but Conley plans to go on free agent visits and seriously consider other teams.
The best advantages the Grizzlies have in keeping Conley in Memphis is familiarity and the fact that they can offer more money than anyone else. Conley and Gasol are good friends so they are solid there, but the money thing may not be much of a benefit to them as the nine-year veteran has said that money will not be a deciding factor in where he ends up.
Of course money is important, and Conley will take it into consideration, but every team will be offering him a max contract so it will come down to what situation is best for him in terms of winning, among other things. The fact that money isn't a huge deal for Conley may be bad news for the Grizzlies.
Other than the extra year it can offer, Memphis really doesn't have much else to offer as it could have already peaked with its core and doesn't look like it will be championship contenders in the near future. Memphis' best shot to keep Conley would be to make some roster improvements early in the summer so he knows it is serious about winning. Keeping the status quo likely won't be enough in this case, as Conley could look to any of the other handful of teams that are expected to target him.
