When Marc Gasol agreed to re-sign with the Memphis Grizzlies on a five-year, $110 million deal, it clearly had more to do with the relationships he’s built with both his teammates and the Memphis fan base than money or ring-chasing. This current iteration of the team has built something special together… an identity that so closely resembles the workhorse blues of the city’s denizens.
What’s more, they’ve made five-consecutive postseason runs together and given nightmares to their playoff opponents, despite never quite making it all the way to the promised land. Some might claim that they’ve already missed their championship window, that an old-school, pound-it-out team in the modern NBA is a relic of a bygone era. Just don’t tell that them.
Gasol’s signing is a clear message that this current squad (with perhaps a few key additions) will continue its Sisyphean quest. That is, of course, if everyone else continues to buy in the way Gasol has. According to Big Spain himself, he and at least one of his teammates have some sort of gentleman’s agreement to do precisely that. Here’s what the Spaniard had to say to a Barcelona radio station on that matter.
Marc Gasol: "I don't know how will go Mike's extension. He told me that if I was there, he'd be there. I hope he keeps his word".
— Marc Mundet (@MarcMundet78) July 7, 2015
Point guard Mike Conley is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, unless he chooses to sign an extension with the team prior to the Halloween deadline. Signing such an extension would be an admirable show of solidarity to his teammates, who continue to thrive on just this sort of camaraderie. The only problem with that is it would absolutely be in his best interest to forego the extension and enter free agency next summer.
That’s because the windfall of cash from the mammoth TV contracts the league signed recently kicks in after next season, and is set to send the salary cap skyrocketing above and beyond the $90 million threshold. It’s partially why so many teams are throwing around obscene amounts of money to mid-level players during this current free agency period. Those contracts will look like bargain basement prices come next summer.
Also — and Gasol and Grizzlies fans everywhere don’t want to hear this — but a lot could happen next season: beloved teammates could be traded, someone could get injured, the team could take a giant step back, ad infinitum. The NBA is a business, first and foremost, and you can only make so many decisions based on sentimental reasons alone.
(via Marc Mundet)