Memphis Grizzlies: The team should hold on to Mike Conley Jr., until the off-season
By Zamir Bueno
The Memphis Grizzlies should hold on to Mike Conley Jr until the off-season because more teams will be involved
There are moments when organizations fail to get the right value for an asset because they chose to cash out at the wrong time. This is the story of the Memphis Grizzlies who are open to trading Mike Conley because they want to start the rebuilding process with their playoff hopes dashed
(per ESPN).
However, one can argue that Memphis should keep Mike Conley until the off-season because New Orleans and Detroit would be the only teams interested in acquiring him this season. The Pelicans are desperately looking to acquire more talented players in a last-ditch effort to convince Anthony Davis to stay with the franchise long-term.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN alluded to this last month:
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"The Pelicans, who put in an offer for Jimmy Butler, are feeling the pressure to convince Anthony Davis to sign an extension next summer. They own their first-round pick and general manager Dell Demps has routinely been willing to trade firsts for instant help in the past. That alone gives them a good chance to get an impact player for the second half if they’re so inclined."
On the other hand, the Pistons are trying to add more shooting to capitalize on the rare window of health for Blake Griffin as it may be their only shot to make the playoffs for the foreseeable future. The Detroit Free press expressed similar sentiments about the organization’s need to add shooting last season:
"As one of the worst shooting teams in the league, the Pistons need wing help. With Reggie Jackson struggling, they wouldn’t mind an upgrade at point guard."
Unfortunately, neither of these teams have a young player that the Grizzlies can realistically market as the sidekick to Jaren Jackson Jr in their rebuild. Therefore, it would behoove to retain him until the off-season as many more teams will be interested in him.
One example of this is the Dallas Mavericks who are currently looking to acquire a guard that is comfortable in the role of spot-up shooter to play alongside Luka Doncic. Fortunately for them, Mike has developed himself into a good spot up shooter as he has shot over 38.47 percent (36.4+45.6+33.3+38.6 /4) on catch and shoot 3’s over the last 4 seasons.
Consequently, the Memphis Grizzlies can ask for Dennis Smith Jr to be the centerpiece of the deal. Dennis Smith Jr is a 21 year old point guard known for thriving in pick and roll situations during his amateur career. Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmidt formerly of Draft Express alluded to this in their 2017 scouting report:
"During his lone season at N.C. State, ” he posted a solid 6.8 assists per-40 pace adjusted, the fourth best rate in our Top-100, as he is capable of creating space, surveying the floor and passing the ball with either hand out of pick and roll situations, sometimes in very impressive fashion”."
Smith’s skill set would fit perfectly with Jaren as his pre-draft scouting report stated that he needs to play with a pick and roll guard:
"The combination of his out-front shot release and his lack of post game means that teams are going to switch on him without trepidation. Smaller players won’t have many issues defending him since he won’t be as much a threat to shoot over the top or hurt them in the post, which will be another factor that constrains his offensive game. For this reason, it will be important that he plays with a pick-and-roll guard who can attack switches as much as possible. Jackson has strong pick-and-pop footwork and if he gets out there with a point guard who can really attack and create for him in those situations, he’ll be a strong threat on those plays."
Therefore, Memphis would have a pick and pop combination for years to come. This is just one example of what the Memphis Grizzlies can get for Mike Conley as the Lakers, Knicks and Suns may have interested in him as a backup option.
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Consequently, the team is in a position to create a bidding war essentially putting organizations in a spot where they are forced to give up extra assets.