Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley confirmed that the Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls have all shown interest in him in the free agent market. However, as everyone knows, he snubbed everyone and decided to stay in Salt Lake City.
Conley signed the Jazz to a $68 million three-year contract during the offseason, which he called the "easiest decision" he made. While there were plenty of people interested in his service, staying in Utah and playing with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert made sense to him.
Conley told Sam Amik of the Athletic: "There are a couple of teams involved. It's Chicago, Dallas. New York came early, and then they were on and off. For me, it's simple, it's the easiest decision..."
"Yes, New Orleans is involved. So for me it was a simple decision (based on) what we've accomplished here and what I've been able to be a part of last year and the last few seasons. Just want to go through this journey with these guys. Bringing the championship to one place, you know, it's not an easy task. I think it's great to see Milwaukee win. You know, like from my standpoint, what I believe, what I've seen over the years, our vision of Memphis, you know? See how the fans react. That's what we want to bring to Utah, to give ourselves a chance to do it. ”
It would be interesting if Mike Conley joined the Mavericks, Bulls or Knicks (considering those teams all have talent), but it's not surprising that he stayed with the Jazz. After all, they were the best team in the regular season, setting a championship record of 52 wins and 20 losses.
Simply put, they are really close to competing for the title. If it weren't for Conley's hamstring injury in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, this team would most likely have made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals and even the NBA Finals.
It seems that Conley did not make any decisions wrong. The Jazz returned to their rule, starting the 2021-22 season with a 4-0 record, beating the Oklahoma Thunder, Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets.
While Conley's numbers aren't prominent this time, the Jazz are really effective and seem to have found the right formula for their talent.
The Mavericks, Bulls, Knicks, and even the Pelicans would certainly benefit if Conley had been in their lineup, but as the seasoned guard himself hinted, he knows he's achieving his career goals in the right position and position.