Here are some of the biggest deals from the first day of free agency, with more still to come. Instead, the Memphis Grizzlies stole the biggest free agent from the Mavericks and used him to lure Conley into staying around.
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The specifics of Conley’s contract are understandably shocking.
Chandler Parsons declines player option to test free agent market.
Free agency in the National Basketball Association has started, and a record amount of money has been thrown around.
Watching how the team took a nosedive while Parsons put up numbers initially rubbed Rick Carlisle the wrong way as well, calling out Parsons for his plus-minus and benching him in crunch time.
If Memphis had been passed over by major free agents and Conley had departed, the pick might have fallen in the mid-to-late lottery.
Conley asked for the Grizzlies to make a move, and they’re certainly swinging with this Parsons deal.
Memphis was ultimately the team to pay it but not the only team to offer. Nowitzki is nearly certain to return for a 19th season in Dallas, while a second for Williams seems unlikely. Interestingly, the Dallas Mavericks are looking to add Conley in their lineup.
There were reports constantly of other team’s interest, but never from him.
Either way, it’s clear that Memphis won’t sink quietly into the cellar out West, not after the way its 2015-16 season ended.
Fellow Florida Gator Bradley Beal also signed a new contract, as he agreed to a five-year $128 million deal to stay with the Washington Wizards.
Will an extremely well-paid Conley and Parsons be enough to get the Grizzlies over the hump in the loaded Western Conference? Change is a function of capability. The Mavericks will not give Parsons the max and the only piece the Mavs manage to wrangle in that made sense for a post-Dirk plan is gone.
Paying to keep Conley was both an act of preservation and a very necessary move for a franchise without much reasonable alternative. New Nets coach Kenny Atkinson is tight with Lin and should get the most out of him, but this is a bad deal.
Whether or not you think Conley deserves all the money he’s getting, it’s hard to fault Memphis for locking up their top player.
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The only real bright side to this is that Conley will likely not go to Dallas and the Mavericks may be the team that falls out of contention in a rebuilding year.
