Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies Agree To Largest Contract In NBA History

Mike Conley and the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to the largest contract in NBA history. The 28-year-old point guard will make $153 million over the life of the five-year pact and will instantly become the highest-paid player in the league.

Memphis and Mike Conley have agreed in principle on a five-year, $153 million deal, league sources say. Finer points "nearing conclusion."
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 1, 2016

Look, I like Mike Conley, he’s a nice player, but there is absolutely no reason he should be the highest-paid basketball player on the planet. I realize this is the new reality in the NBA with the massive salary cap increase this summer, but the guy is going to make more than $30 million a year and has never even been an All-Star.

Conley missed 26 games last season and saw his productivity dip slightly. His PER of 19.45 ranked 46th in the NBA. He also saw his points (15.3) and rebounds (2.9) per game drop, and his field goal percentage (42.2) and 3-point percentage (36.3) also decreased. Conley’s Value Over Replacement Player fell to 1.7 and he posted just 5.3 win shares. Neither of those marks were close to ranking in the top 20.

Again, Conley is a nice player. He’s a good point guard for a playoff team that could make some noise during the 2016-17 season. But the guy has never made an All-Star Game or been on an All-NBA team and he just signed the biggest contract in league history. That’s insanity.