Utah Jazz: If Kemba is unavailable, Mike Conley should be target number one

If the Utah Jazz are unable to land Kemba Walker in free agency, trading for Mike Conley should be their next highest priority.

The Utah Jazz face a pivotal summer as they no doubt need to upgrade their roster and also have the financial flexibility to do so. Their options in free agency and in trades will be many, though which ones will actually be realistic is another story. Trades can be difficult to arrange as it takes two to tango, and Utah has never been known as a free agent destination by any stretch of the imagination.

And while some may argue that the four-spot is Utah’s most crucial need or that a playmaker at any position is priority number one, I’m in the camp of thinking that Utah’s most desperate need is at the point guard position. With such being the case, I’ve already expressed my feelings clearly here on The J-Notes that the Jazz should go first and foremost for prolific free agent point guard Kemba Walker.

Walker is nothing short of a superstar point guard, the likes of which could take the Jazz to a whole new level. As a playmaker, shot creator, passer and dynamic clutch performer extraordinaire, Walker is everything the Jazz could want in a free agent upgrade. His relentless effort, will to win and passion for the game would make him an ideal culture fit in Utah as well.

Among realistic options (and calling Kemba realistic may very well be an enormous stretch in and of itself) adding Walker in free agency would be as much of a home run as the Jazz could hope for this summer.

That said, there’s no guarantee that he’ll have any desire to come to Utah. If such is the case and the Jazz know as much, then their focus should pivot away from him entirely. In fact, it might be wisest in that situation if their focus pivoted away from free agency and instead turned completely to the trade market.

Sure, a power forward like Tobias Harris would be an awesome free agent get as well. Or if perhaps someone like Kyrie Irving decided to look at the Brooklyn Nets, making D’Angelo Russell available, he could be a nice pickup for Utah as well.

But with point guard still being a top priority and Russell’s availability and accessibility questionable at best, there’s someone else that I have as my clear number two choice for the Jazz. He’s someone that they’ve expressed interest in before and someone that only could be had via trade which, considering Utah’s disappointing free agent history, may be advantageous.

Of course the player I’m speaking of is Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley. The Jazz went for him hard at this past season’s trade deadline, but came away unsuccessful. Now, after Memphis won the second overall pick in the draft lottery and is projected to select incredible prospect Ja Morant, many believe that the Grizz will find Conley expendable in a potential rebuild.

As such, there have already been a number of reports that the Jazz want to engage with Memphis on trade talks for Conley once again. And that should absolutely be the case.

In fact, forget Tobias, D’Angelo or any other sexy free agent option. If the Jazz can’t get Kemba, then Mike Conley should be option number one.

There’s a reason why he was so highly coveted at the trade deadline. He’s capable of going off quite easily for 20+ points per night, is a prolific playmaker, an awesome assist-man and, perhaps most enticing of all for a potential Jazzman, he’s as gritty of a defender as they come. Conley’s style and skill would fit the Jazz system like a glove as a force on both ends of the floor.

He would serve as the second playmaker alongside Donovan Mitchell that the team desperately needs. By providing an additional prolific scoring threat, Utah’s offense would be deadlier than ever giving them the space and further options they need. With a second guard that can both get into the paint and also knock down the three-ball (and as an added bonus defend with the best of them) the Jazz would be an entirely different team. And a much better one at that.

Unfortunately, trading for Conley will be no easy task. The Jazz have a lot fewer meaningful assets now that the season has ended as Ricky Rubio, Thabo Sefolosha and Ekpe Udoh are all free agents and their contracts can no longer be traded. There has been a lot of speculation circling the web that the Jazz could trade Royce O’Neale, Grayson Allen, this year’s first-round pick and a future pick for Conley, but this is likely preposterous.

First off, the Grizzlies are likely to get much better offers than just that and would be unwise to give up Conley for so little. Secondly, those salaries don’t come anywhere close to lining up as the Jazz would have to do more to make space and the incoming salary of Conley dwarfs the combined total of the other two. Utah would have to get much more creative if they were to land the Grizzlies point guard extraordinaire.

Nevertheless, Conley’s fit is undeniable. And the fact that he isn’t a free agent could actually make him more obtainable as he wouldn’t have a say in the matter of going to Utah so long as the Jazz could woo Memphis into a deal. Considering the Jazz struggle with free agent pitches, this could be their best bet to add a significant talent.

And that’s exactly what Conley would be. Despite his age and some question about his injury history, he would still be an excellent fit and the Jazz simply can’t afford to pass on him if they have any opportunity of landing him.

In summary, as hard as it may be to lure free agents, the Jazz should aim to get Kemba Walker first and foremost. If that proves impossible, then Mike Conley should be option number two. And every player outside of Mitchell and Rudy Gobert should be considered expendable in such a deal. There are risks involved with going for Conley, but no team ever got better without taking risks.

And adding Mike Conley could very well be the perfect risk for the Jazz – the kind of one that gets them over an elusive hump that has evaded them for the past several seasons.