Mike Conley's Max Contract Demands Hurt Knicks, Nets Interest?

Feb 24, 2016 03:07 PM EST
Mike Conley
Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley run down the court during a 2016 game against the Portland Trail Blazers."

Heading into free agency in 2016, most teams are focused on Kevin Durant and where the former MVP will sign. However, there are a slew of other players ready to make some noise on the market and get paid. Mike Conley is someone preparing to hit free agency, and while he has stated his love for the Memphis Grizzlies, former head coach Lionel Hollins believes that the point guard will chase the money. 

Conley will be the best available point guard on the market this free agency run. The Memphis Grizzlies star is the best playmaker for the team right now and is looking to get paid as a result. Former head coach Hollins told ESPN.com that Conley is going to chase money before he chases loyalty to a team.

"I don't know if Michael looks elsewhere but that might end up being the best move," Hollins said. "Mike is at that crossroads where he's [28] years old. He's coming up on a contract year. He wants to get paid. Will Memphis pay him as much as somebody else? If he can get to a situation that has a future of winning or is he going to go to a team that doesn't have a future of winning? That's probably going to be important to him as well."

Conley has only briefly spoken about his free agency run. The point guard told ESPN.com that he wants to sign on with a team that is ready to win. He is averaging 14.8 points and 6.1 assists right now and is going to need to step up with Marc Gasol done for the season. If Conley is preparing to chase the money, he will stay in Memphis. The team can offer his five years and $25 million annually. Any other team can only offer four years and $25 million annually. 

There is no chance the Knicks or the Nets get their hands on Conley this offseason, according to Mike Francesa of WFAN via Sporting News. Both teams are said to be preparing big contracts for the point guard, but their rosters are not overly enticing to sign on to. Both teams are in need of point guards, but if Conley wants to win, he might be headed elsewhere.

"I want to win," Conley said, via ESPN.com. "That's what I want to do at the end of the day, wherever that may be. So hopefully, when that time comes, I'll have a better vision on what I want and what I want going forward in the summer, but right now, I'm all about winning, and I want to be somewhere that's committed to doing that."

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