Mike Conley Dilemma: Should He Receive a Max Contract?

Long-time starting point Mike Conley is a free agent this summer. The majority sees him as a max contract player, but does his play warrant a max contract?

The same question arose last year about Marc Gasol. This year it’s about Mike Conley.

Will Mike Conley be back in Memphis next season? Conley has been a stabilizing presence for the Grizzlies. A few years ago when Zach Randolph went down, he was there to help weather the storm. When Marc Gasol got injured a few seasons ago and again this season, Mike Conley kept the ship afloat.

Now, without Gasol and Conley, the Grizzlies have resembled a lottery team with a 4-16 record. While his impact can’t go unnoticed, his stats don’t scream “max contract.” For a guy who turns 29 years old next year and has never eclipsed 18 points or seven assists per game, does Mike Conley warrant a max contract?

Let’s compare Conley’s stats to point guards who are under max contract, according to sportac.com (or in Curry’s case, will receive a max contract). Stats per nba.com.

Points Per Game

Stephen Curry 30.1
Damian Lillard 25.1
Russell Westbrook 23.5
Kyrie Irving 19.6
Chris Paul 19.5
Derrick Rose 16.4
Mike Conley 15.3

Rebounds per game

Russell Westbrook 7.8
Stephen Curry 5.4
Chris Paul 4.2
Damian Lillard 4.0
Derrick Rose 3.4
Kyrie Irving 3.0
Mike Conley 2.9

Assists per game

Russell Westbrook 10.4
Chris Paul 10.0
Damian Lillard 6.8
Stephen Curry 6.7
Mike Conley 6.1
Derrick Rose 4.7
Kyrie Irving 4.7

His production does not necessarily replicate any of the max contract players. Heck, his assist numbers aren’t even in the top 15 among point guards, and his scoring numbers are outside the top 20. What every Grizzlies fan or analyst will tell you is Mike Conley has the intangibles. Yes, without his leadership, the “Grit-and-Grind” era probably would have been over a few years ago.

To me, Mike Conley deserves a contract similar to John Wall and Reggie Jackson (five years, $80 million). There are three routes to go with Mike Conley:

1. Give him a max contract and end up with a similar team to this year. While this may be the route the Grizzlies choose, throwing a max contract at him will leave little wiggle room for the Grizzlies to improve. After the contract, they have Lance Stephenson‘s $9 million team option and free agents Matt Barnes and Mario Chalmers to make decisions on.
2. Give him a contract in the five years, $80 million or four years, $70 million. This contract will give Mike Conley a hefty payday that still helps the Grizzlies improve their roster. A contract similar to this could help the Grizzlies land a good wing that can play small ball 4 (Nicolas Batum?) and/or Pau Gasol on a cheap deal.
3. Let him walk. Every Grizzlies fan does not want this to happen, but it is possible. How would they replace him? They could look at signing a point guard like Jeremy Lin or Ish Smith and save max money for a wing this year (Chandler Parsons or Bradley Beal).

I am definitely not saying that the Grizzlies should let Mike Conley walk; however, throwing a five-year, $150 million deal at a 29-year-old point guard is certainly not ideal. If the Grizzlies could talk him down to a reasonable deal, they would end up with a steal of a deal while being able to have flexibility for their future.