Like most small market franchises, the Memphis Grizzlies have not been ones to go out and spend tons of money. Over the years they've been pretty conservative with their spending, which for the most part has been a good thing since they haven't made any really bad decisions. However, with the NBA salary cap expanding to over $94M, the Memphis Grizzlies have decided to live a little and throw around some money, giving Mike Conley a 5 year, $152.6M contract and Chandler Parsons a 4 year, $94.4M contract.
Mike Conley's contract is the most lucrative deal in NBA history and Chandler Parsons' contract, while not nearly as big, is still costing the Grizzlies more than $23M per season. The big question down on Beale Street is whether or not this kind of spending will pay off for the Grizzlies and result in an NBA championship. The Grizzlies have been to the playoffs six years in a row, but each time have fallen short of the ultimate prize. They are hoping that by retaining Mike Conley and adding Chandler Parsons into the fold, they may finally have the recipe for championship success.
At the end of the day, the Memphis Grizzlies did the right thing with both Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons. While I do believe they overpaid for Mike Conley a little bit, he is still a young player at 28 years of age. He is just starting to enter his prime and every NBA contender needs a quality floor general. While his 15.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game don't exactly jump out at you, they are still very solid numbers and indicative that Conley knows how to run an offense.
As for Chandler Parsons, it's a similar situation. He's only 27 years old and just entering his prime. While his 13.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game also don't grab your attention, his 41.4% shooting from 3-point range does, especially since the Grizzlies have been in sore need of somebody who can stroke it from beyond the arc.
Whether or not these moves will result in an NBA championship on Beale Street remains to be seen and quite honestly, I don't think that they will. But, what is important is that both of these moves keep the Memphis Grizzlies in the mix and relevant. With Mike Conley, Chandler Parsons, Marc Gasol, and Zach Randolph, the Grizzlies have a team that is capable of doing some serious damage in the playoffs and given the right breaks, a trip to the NBA Finals. Considering how tough the Western Conference is, that's as good of a position to be in as you could ask for.
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