With the recent rumor out that Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley is leaning towards leaving the Grizzlies when hitting the free agent market this offseason (per NBC Sports), a bored Kings (myself) has to daydream.
If the Kings were to able to sign Mike Conley onto their squad this Summer, of course, it would be a huge addition to the point guard position that is now uncertain for Sacramento going forward.
Conley is one of the more underrated guards in the NBA, and his numbers are able to prove it. Throughout his 9 year career at the professional level, Conley has averaged 13.6 points, 5.6 assists, and 2.9 rebounds a game. He has also shot a career field goal percentage of 44%, 37.3% from the perimeter, and 80.6% from the free-throw line.
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Conley has also earned the reputation around the league as being a player that can be solid going both ways.
He has proven that he can defend well at his position by earning second-team defensive honors in 2013 and being a positive contributor to a Grizzlies team that has the reputation of being a hard-nosed defensive squad in the last couple of seasons.
With the possible addition of Conley, the Kings would improve overall in their guard play. They would get a player that can be both a scorer and distributor offensively and would dramatically upgrade a perimeter defense that greatly struggled this previous season.
Now, time to wake up and think reality. Do the Kings actually have a chance to persuade the former Ohio State Buckeye in making Sacramento his home next season? Here is what some of you have expressed through this small sample size survey:
If Mike Conley is a free agent this summer, what are the chances the Kings pick him up?
— A Royal Pain (@ARoyalPain) April 18, 2016
Unfortunately, I’m going to agree with the majority of people who answered to this survey. Mike Conley, at 28 years of age, is right now is in the middle of his basketball prime. Why would he choose to go to a team like Sacramento, who have shown no signs yet of getting back to relevancy, over a team that can be a competitor immediately?
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There will be a bevy of teams that will pursue Conley this offseason, and although Sacramento may be one of those teams after him, I don’t foresee the purple and white being a worthy competitor.