The Boston Celtics signed Mike Conley to a one-year, $3.88 million contract this offseason. Even though he's not the same player he was in his prime (or even three years ago, if we're being fair), Celtics fans should still be excited about his arrival. He is one of the best locker room leaders in the league, and he should be a great veteran and mentor for the rest of the team (outside of maybe Paul George, given that he's only about three years younger).
Boston missed having a solidified veteran last season following Al Horford and Jrue Holiday's departure, but it addressed this need by signing Conley. This was a good, low-risk move on its own, but fans just got another reason to be happy about it.
The Celtics gave Mike Conley something he's never had before
In a recent episode of the "Celtics Daily" podcast, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic revealed that Conley wanted to play in the Eastern Conference, for a flagship franchise, and under head coach Joe Mazzulla.
“What appealed to him about Boston was A) he's never been in the Eastern Conference, but B) I was told that Mike really wanted to at least spend one year playing for a flagship franchise,” Krawczynski said about Conley. “It's nothing against the Grizzlies, or the Jazz, or the Wolves, but none of those teams are royalty with the NBA. The Boston Celtics are historic. They have a history and a gravitas about them. Conley wanted to experience what it was like playing for that kind of a franchise, with that kind of a fanbase and that kind of allure about them."
"I also know that he has a lot of respect for Joe Mazzulla and the way that he coaches and the way that he goes about things. ... I think he's really looking forward to just being in that organization, being in that building every night, seeing what the differences are with that kind of a franchise versus the ones that he's used to playing with.”
Even in the midst of what has been a mostly negative two seasons for the Celtics (failed championship defense - Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury - Kristaps Porzingis, Holiday, Luke Kornet, and Horford departures - Jaylen Brown trade), there is still a sense of respect and aura the franchise has about them that very few organizations in all of sports have.
It remains to be seen just how good the Celtics are actually going to be next season, but they are still a team to keep an eye on. Conley likely won't play much of an on-court role (unless the team decides to start Payton Pritchard and have the 38-year-old be their primary backup point guard... which isn't ideal), but he is still looking to make an impact and help the team win some games.
Conley wanted to be in Boston. There were likely tons of other teams around the league interested in his services, but the one-time All-Star chose to play for the Celtics in what could be his final season in the NBA. Fans should have already been happy to see Conley join the squad, and after all of this, that feeling should only be magnified.
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