NBA Rumors: Rounding Up Buzz on Mike Conley and Other Notable Free Agents
It's easy to forget the depth of the 2016 NBA free-agent class.
Call it an understandable oversight when one looks at a class headlined by Kevin Durant, Hassan Whiteside, Dwight Howard and even Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki.
Yet when you start with Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley and work your way through the entire list, the depth becomes apparent—an important feature on the heels of the Golden State Warriors posting 73 wins with one of the deepest rosters maybe ever.
These notable free agents—who are not necessarily superstars but quite important in their own right—have plenty of rumors surrounding their trips to the market. Let's take a look at a few so that nobody gets caught off guard when a move goes down.
The Market for Luol Deng
Case in point—most don't think of Luol Deng when it comes to the 2016 class.
But it's important to know Deng is only 31 years old and just played an important role in the Miami Heat's playoff push. He averaged 32.4 minutes per game in the regular season with averages of 12.3 points and 6.0 rebounds. He also shot 34.4 percent from deep.
A solid all-around player, Deng is a double-edged free agent in that he can provide a serious boost to a contender or help hurry along a rebuild while acting as a mentor to a younger roster.
It sounds like the Utah Jazz are after him, according to Andy Larsen of KSL.com:
That's interesting because the Jazz already have Gordon Hayward, Rodney Hood and Derrick Favors in starting gigs. Then again, the Jazz trotted out something similar last year and posted 40 wins, missing the postseason down the stretch.
Maybe Deng doesn't look like the greatest fit, but coughing up the rather large cash it will take to convince him to help a rebuild may lead to further moves.
And while the Miami Heat focus on landing a superstar, Deng is just the type of steal the Jazz could look to make, helping the rebuild by buying the team some flexibility.
Line Growing for Dion Waiters?
In the same vein as Deng, Dion Waiters isn't the first name who comes to mind this summer.
That doesn't mean a team won't spend and give him some run as a starter, ripping him from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Waiters, 24, went fourth to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2012 draft, spent three sluggish seasons there and has pitched in an average of 27.6 minutes or more in his two seasons with the Thunder. Last year, he averaged 9.8 points on 39.9 percent shooting from the floor.
The numbers and the allure of upside might have two teams thinking about opening the checkbooks for him, according to Michael Scotto of the Associated Press:
Interestingly enough, the Philadelphia 76ers could afford to give Waiters some run as a starter and relegate Nik Stauskas to a rotational role. It's a similar story with the Sacramento Kings and current penciled-in starter Ben McLemore.
It's all about upside with Waiters, who wasn't going to post major numbers on the offensive end of the court with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant as the first two options.
Philadelphia and Sacramento coming up near Waiters' name means other rebuilders are likely willing to pay up for an upside-laden veteran, which might make this a bidding war.
Like the Heat with Deng, the Thunder have other bigger details to worry about right now. Keep an eye on Waiters.
Mike Conley to Remain Loyal?
It's not often NBA teams get a shot at a proven point guard in his prime on the open market.
A potential shot, that is, when it comes to Conley.
Still just 28 years old, Conley hits the market after another steady, though injury-shortened, season with averages of 15.3 points, 6.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game, which are right in line with his career numbers of 13.6, 5.6 and 2.9, respectively.
It's easy to presume Conley ditches the Grizzlies and takes a stab at a title with a contender—something made easier by the fact the team looks headed into a rebuild as the Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol era begins to fade.
According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, though, Conley might re-up if the team shows improvement:
"The word around Mike Conley is that he’s going to listen to some free agent pitches, but will ultimately give the Grizzlies the last word. That’s simply how Mike is wired.
The belief around the Grizzlies is that Mike will re-sign on the maximum offer they’ll present him on July 1. However, sources close to Conley say that getting his signature will require the team to be aggressive in adding talent to the roster.
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Maybe Conley has the right idea after all. The New York Knicks got ruined as a speculated destination thanks to the Derrick Rose trade, and now it seems like a similar story with the San Antonio Spurs, according to ESPN's Marc Stein:
Sticking with Memphis isn't the worst outcome in the world for Conley, as the team doesn't have much of a choice but to cough up whatever cash he wants and try to appease him through other roster moves.
Such is the fickle nature of the beast for the Grizzlies, who are not even close to sitting on the lists of guys like Durant.
Even so, other teams will come at Conley with similar offers. Last word or not, the Grizzlies have every right to worry and might wind up as a surprisingly active team in the coming days and weeks.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
