The Orlando Magic are clearly still searching for a point guard and one of the biggest names yet has hit the market. The Magic could find their answer in Mike Conley.
The Orlando Magic find themselves in the Playoff race near the All-Star season for the first time since Dwight Howard left. It is an admittedly new feeling for a roster that still feels like it is in transition.
The general consensus was that this would be another bridge year between the mess left to the team from Rob Hennigan and the vision Jeff Weltman wants to put together. Making the Playoffs has been a noted side effect of this waiting. The Magic allowed their team to play things out.
Now the season seems at a turning point. The trade deadline is approaching and the Magic have some key players they may want to move.
They also have a Playoff race to chase and those chances seem to be slipping. Orlando currently sits three games out of the final Playoff spot. As the losses start to pile up and the team fades down the standings, it is clear the Magic have to make some moves to save their season and continue in the Playoff hunt.
And with an eye toward the future, it needs to be a big one that will set the franchise up for a long time to come while keeping them competitive in the present.
No players reportedly on the market would do that quite like the Memphis Grizzlies’ Mike Conley.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Memphis is listening to teams’ offers for their two star players Mike Conley and Marc Gasol. But he reports the financials are the tough part about a potential deal.
For first time, Memphis will begin listening to trade offers on franchise stars Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, league sources tell ESPN. Memphis has reached a crossroads and is preparing to weigh deals involving one or both of its cornerstone veterans. Story soon on ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 22, 2019
There is no doubt the Magic need a point guard. They have made it fairly clear they are searching for a point guard in the current trade market. Whether they will pursue a player like Conley, no matter how much they could use him, is a different story.
Wojnarowski is right. The finances are a big impediment to any deal. But Conley’s play certainly makes any deal worth examining.
The Grizzlies still owe Conley $67 million in the next two years. He is also not the youngest point guard in the NBA at 31 years old and he has a long history of injury. Conley has not played more than 70 games in a season since 2015.
But the upside is he would provide much-needed experience and skill to a team desperate for leadership, point guard play and Playoff experience. Conley is a player who brings instant credibility to your perimeter offense.
The question at the center of any discussions involving Conley is whether he is the point guard the team should invest fully in. Adding a player like Conley would lend the Magic instant legitimacy but also increase the pressure to win in the next two years. All while tying up the team’s finances.
If the answer is yes then the key to moving him will be figuring out which of the Magic’s high-priced players they can move and what the Grizzlies want in return. Are they looking for players who can contribute now and keep the team competitive or are they looking to get younger?
Orlando has trade assets in Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross who could help create some cap flexibility for Memphis immediately. But the Grizzlies, in a full rebuild if they move on from a player like Conley, are likely looking for future assets instead. They will not be ready to play in free agency.
That could put a big contract like Timofey Mozgov or Evan Fournier on the table (likely both to make salaries match). But to take on those deals, Memphis probably would like to acquire one of Orlando’s core young players — Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac or Mohamed Bamba — and likely a future first-round pick, possibly even from this year.
On the Magic’s end, a move to add Conley increases winning pressure immediately and locks the team into a certain roster for the next two years. That could mean Conley is the best guard to facilitate growth for the team’s core players in Mohamed Bamba, Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon.
It could also help whatever remains make a serious push for this year’s Playoffs.
Running with a veteran point guard like Conley can make all of the difference in the world.
Conley is averaging 19.8 points per game along with 6.1 assists per game and 3.3 rebound per game. He is shooting 42.7 percent from the floor and 49.3 percent effective field goal percentage. Conley has taken on a larger role offensively with a 27.2 percent usage rate. He works better with other scoring weapons around him rather than carrying the full burden.
Conley can create his own shot and force defenses to react to his drives. That would open things up for players around him and he is a skilled passer to free them up.
Conley is not a superstar by any stretch of the imagination but he is tough and can defend. Conley is the kind of point guard who can help unlock the potential of the Magic’s core or boost the young veterans that pepper the roster now.
The need for a consistently productive point guard has been the biggest knock on the Magic since Dwight Howard left and should be the main priority before the trade deadline.
They began getting these high draft picks since 2013 but they have missed every year on a solid point guard. In 2013, the Magic selected Elfrid Payton, but Payton struggled to take his game to the next level with the team.
Orlando tried using Victor Oladipo at point guard in 2012 to little effect. The investment in Payton was a major miss — especially considering what the team otherwise missed on in trading Dario Saric to get him. Orlando has struggled to find consistent play at the position no matter where they look.
Trading for a player like Conley is a major investment. It would solidify their starting point guard spot for the near future and show the team and fans a commitment to winning now.
They seem to already know who the future center, power forward and small forward will be. Adding a veteran point guard to that mix could have lasting positive results. The Magic need someone with Playoff experience with the ball in their hands.
Conley fits the bill and would be a great fit for a young Orlando team in desperate need of a solution at point guard.