Point guard Mike Conley is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and will undoubtedly receive a lot of interest from multiple teams, as he is arguably the best point guard available on the free-agent market. You can cross the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers off of that list. The Knicks acquired former All-Star, Derrick Rose by sending Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant to Chicago. The Knicks also received Justin Holiday and a 2017 second-round pick back as well. Meanwhile, the Pacers added former Hawks guard, Jeff Teague in a 3-team deal. George Hill went to the Utah Jazz as a part of the deal, and the Jazz sent their No.12 pick in tonight’s draft to Atlanta.
Ready for the fun part?
It’s being reported that Conley has interest in two teams in particular: The San Antonio Spurs (sigh) and our Dallas Mavericks.
A source said the [San Antonio] Spurs and [Dallas] Mavericks are among the other teams that would interest Conley, who intends to explore his options in free agency. The Spurs would have to answer questions about how Conley would fit with Tony Parker, according to the source, who said that Conley has great respect for Dallas coach Rick Carlisle.
It’s now being reported that despite Kevin Durant being the top free agent on the market, the Mavericks have said that Conley is theirs. Yes, I know how the top targets work out for the Mavericks every summer, but this one could be different. There is already the Rick Carlisle factor. This could linger on how the Spurs and Tony Parker go about their future plans. No chance Conley takes a position where he would be splitting time with someone like Parker, who is so highly regarded among his peers in San Antonio.
There is also this.
“Mike Conley is a really good player,” Mavericks’ guard Devin Harris said. “He’s grown every year he’s been in the league. When he came in, there were a lot of questions about him and now he’s probably one of the top-tier free agents.
“He’s been very durable and he’s made himself into a pretty good shooter. And defensively, he’s a pain in the butt. He can do a lot of things well. From where Memphis was to where they are now had a lot to do with how he’s played.”
The Mavericks have to be at his door step or wining and dining him come 11 PM a week from today. They don’t have a choice. Panic has begun to creep in the minds of Mavericks fans everywhere. Deron Williams, Chandler Parsons, and oh my god, Dirk Nowitzki have all opted out — as expected!
While the chances are slim, there still remains the possibility that the Big German leaves the Lone Star State. He doesn’t want to, but he’s mentioned that if the franchise doesn’t form a roster that can compete, and goes “full rebuild” mode, he would look elsewhere.
That is where the addition of Conley, and a quality big would seriously put the Mavericks into a much better position. The lingering questions regarding Chandler Parsons could play a part, but there is no doubt that snagging a big fish (yes, Dallas snagging a big fish) like Conley would make it extremely difficult for Nowitzki and maybe others to leave.
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