Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley now has a fully guaranteed contract after successfully appearing in 55 games for the team this season.
The $34.5M salary in 2020-21 for Memphis point guard Mike Conley is now guaranteed. Signed to a $152.6M contract in 2016, Conley had to appear in 55 games in either the 2018-19 or 2019-20 season for his protection to increase from $22.4M to $34.5M.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 10, 2019
Mike Conley signed a five-year, $152 million contract with the Grizzlies in 2016, but one of the terms that both sides had agreed to was for the 12 year-veteran to appear in at least 55 games either this year or the next. One of the reasons behind such condition was Conley's history of injuries.
Similar contracts have been handed out by other teams to several players recently. The most notable one is the Philadelphia 76ers' contact extension for All-Star center Joel Embiid, who had to appear in a specific number of games as well in order for it to be fully guaranteed.
This allows NBA teams to be able to have some sort of assurance whenever they're signing talented but oft-injured players to long-term deals. Of course, they don't want any of their players to suffer injuries, but they don't want to pay them if they're unable to play either.
This comes as some type of good news for Conley and the Grizzlies, who went through a trade drama of their own. Memphis tried to trade their once prized point guard last Thursday. Several teams showed interest, but no deal materialized, as the Memphis was unable to find an offer that would meet their demands.
For now, Conley remains a Grizzly, and hopefully he will be able to play the remainder of the season at full strength. So he could give fans one last glimpse of what has remained from the Grit and Grind era.
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