NBA Rumors: Houston Rockets Signing Mike Conley From Memphis Grizzlies

NBA rumors have been swirling around Mike Conley. The Memphis Grizzlies star point guard is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Several teams will be interested in him this upcoming summer. According to FanSided, one of the teams interested in him will be the Houston Rockets. Dwight Howard might be opting out of his contract this summer. The team will be retooling their roster to help James Harden. The Rockets will be in need of a consistent defensive presence. Conley could be their guy.

Mike Conley has been a very consistent player for the Memphis Grizzlies for the past nine years. Earlier this season, Memphis tried to resign the former Ohio State Buckeyes star. Conley declined the offer. The Grizzlies lost their star point guard due to a season ending Achilles injury. This season, he averaged 15.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game. Those are good numbers, considering the Grizzlies run a slow pace offense.

The Houston Rockets already have a point guard in Patrick Beverley. The former second round pick has been a great addition for the team. He is the defensive enforcer on the perimeter. Beverley is a player who is willing to get physical with the opposing guard. He has proven that he isn’t willing to back down from the challenge of guarding the best guard on the other team. Beverley’s stats don’t show how much he means to the team. This season, he’s averaging 9.9 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. Those aren’t bad stats considering how much the offense runs through James Harden.

James Harden is the main focal point of the Houston Rockets offense. Last summer, the team traded for Ty Lawson in hopes of pushing them to the next level. Lawson was supposed to come in and help take the load off of Harden. Things didn’t turn out the way the Rockets wanted it to. This season, Lawson averaged 5.8 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.7 rebounds per game. All career lows for the former North Carolina Tar Heels star. Houston decided to cut ties with Lawson; he was waived in a buyout agreement.

The big question for the Houston Rockets will be if Dwight Howard comes back to the team. He is expected to opt out of his current contract this summer to become an unrestricted free agent. Howard expressed his discontent with the team due to the lack of touches on the offensive end of the ball. He is averaging 13.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. The good thing for Howard this season is that he played 71 out of the 82 games.

It will be interesting to see how James Harden and Mike Conley will co-exist on the floor together. It shouldn’t be too big of a problem due to Conley’s unselfishness. He can play without the ball in his hands. Conley will also take a lot of the ball handling duties from Harden, who wouldn’t be the only person to benefit from Conley’s presence. It could mean Patrick Beverley might be able to play more physically on defense.

Mike Conley will have plenty of options this upcoming summer. An option for him would be signing with the New York Knicks. The team will be looking for an upgrade at the point guard position this summer. New York signing Conley would help propel them into being a contender for an NBA Championship.

The Houston Rockets signing Mike Conley would be a great addition to the team, as a leader on the court and in the locker room. Houston adding Conley could possibly push them to the next level.

[Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images]