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Report: Spurs' interest in Mike Conley is 'overstated'

Jim McIsaac / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The San Antonio Spurs may not be as gung-ho on making a play for unrestricted free agent Mike Conley this summer as originally thought.

It was reported back in March that the Spurs had their eyes set on Conley, however, a "well-placed source" recently told ESPN's Marc Stein that the team's interest in the 28-year-old is "overstated."

While Conley reportedly had two Texas squads in the Spurs and Dallas Mavericks near the top of his wish list, his desire to call San Antonio his home appears to have lessened based on the makeup of its roster.

During a recent appearance on ESPN 103.3 in Dallas, ESPN's Tim MacMahon said a source had informed him that Conley has his concerns about potentially signing with the Spurs because of Tony Parker's current role, per SB Nation's Tim Cato.

While it's likely Conley would earn the starting nod should he join the organization, it's hard to imagine head coach Gregg Popovich forgetting about Parker entirely, with a point guard by committee scenario an option to be instituted to get both players a fair amount of playing time.

Parker, despite being 34 years old, can still perform at a high level, which he demonstrated last season by averaging 11.9 points and 5.3 assists on 49.3 percent shooting as the starter of the 67-win team. He also has two years left on his contract worth a touch under $30 million.

Whether he ultimately decides to leave Memphis or not, the Grizzlies won't be letting him walk without putting up a fight, with general manager Chris Wallace emphatically saying that he was going to re-sign Conley to a new contract.

Conley averaged 15.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds on 42.2 percent shooting in 31.4 minutes last season for the 42-40 Grizzlies, who were ultimately bounced out of the first round in a clean sweep by the Spurs. He missed the final 20 games of the regular season and the playoffs due to a left Achilles injury.

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