Chandler Parsons wants a max contract, and Dallas is reportedly hesitant on giving him one. He’ll have plenty of suitors around the league with the salary cap set to spike. One of those suitors, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, is the Memphis Grizzlies, who are also trying to re-sign Mike Conley:
Free Agent Rumble: Memphis not only believes it'll keep Mike Conley but might try to sign Chandler Parsons away from the Conley-chasing Mavs
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 30, 2016
Whether or not the Grizz get far in a Parsons pursuit, they continue to believe they will hold off Dallas and all challengers to keep Conley
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 30, 2016
The Mavs will be making a hard push at Conley once free agency kicks off at midnight Thursday, but the Grizzlies are the only team that can offer him a fifth year. They have $51 million committed currently under a cap that’s projected to be $94 million, so they’d have to do some salary maneuvering to create enough space to fit max deals for both Conley and Parsons. But Tony Allen ($5.5 million expiring) and Brandan Wright ($11.6 million over the next two years) should be movable and create enough space.
If Parsons is healthy (a big if, and an especially big risk for a Memphis team that dealt with an unprecedented amount of injuries this season), he provides an offensive boost for the Grizzlies. A “big three” of Parsons, Conley and Marc Gasol isn’t a title contender, but it’s better than what they’ve had the last couple of years, and probably more appealing for Conley than playing with Hassan Whiteside, a past-his-prime Dirk, a still-recovering Wesley Matthews and not much else in Dallas.
