Utah Jazz: Mike Conley trade rumors present high-risk, high-reward opportunity

With Mike Conley officially on the trading block, the Utah Jazz have the chance to pursue what could be a monumental albeit dreadfully risky transaction.

With the NBA trade deadline just over two weeks away, expect the rumors for the Utah Jazz and the league as a whole to really heat up in the coming days. The trade deadline is one of the most exciting midseason events of the year as it can lead to fringe teams making a huge leap, tanking teams throwing in the towel or major moves taking place that send ripples across the league.

The rumor mill got started off with a bang on Tuesday evening as reports surfaced from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the Memphis Grizzlies are now open to moving both of their long-time franchise cornerstones Marc Gasol and Mike Conley. Their acquisition by any team would be nothing short of a blockbuster move and could very well shake up the landscape in the NBA in a big way.

The Utah Jazz aren’t typically overly aggressive at the trade deadline, and instead look to make prudent, if less exciting moves. However, with such intriguing, franchise-altering players on the trade block, you can bet that the Jazz will do their due diligence to inquire of the Grizzlies and see what opportunities exist.

Of course, it doesn’t make any sense at all for them to pursue Marc Gasol. With Rudy Gobert firmly in place as Utah’s starting center and the backbone of the defense, having he and Gasol on the same roster would be horribly redundant despite their unique traits. Conley, however, has the chance to be an extremely tantalizing trade prospect.

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Long heralded as one of the most underrated players in the NBA, Mike Conley is nothing short of an elite talent, despite years of being overlooked. Believe it or not, he’s never made an All-Star Game, and could very well be the best veteran player in the league with that distinction.

Nevertheless, as Jazz fans should know all too well, All-Star recognition is never an all-encompassing measure of the worth of a player. And while Conley hasn’t ever played in the heralded event, he’s certainly an All-Star caliber talent. Conley has averaged 15 points or better in each of his past six seasons, which have also included marks well above that.

In his best season in 2016-17, Conley put up 20.5 points and 6.3 assists per contest while shooting 46 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from deep. For his career, he’s a solid 44 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from deep.

Not only can Conley score the ball extremely well, but he’s an electric passer and an even better defender. His lock-down abilities on the perimeter would fit like a glove with Coach Snyder’s defensive schemes, making him an absolutely riveting addition for the Jazz on that end. There’s been talk of several potential Jazz trade or free agent targets that could help the offense but wouldn’t fit the defense well at all.

Conley is one of the rare exceptions that wouldn’t just help the offense while being merely serviceable on defense, but he’d actually improve both ends of the floor exponentially. In that regard, he’d be an incredible fit with the Jazz.

Not only that, but Conley has never played with a backcourt running mate that would be as prolific as the tandem of he and Donovan Mitchell. With Conley able to spread the floor, make pinpoint passes and run the offense, Mitchell would be free to have the space he needs to operate and take advantage of all of his strengths. The two would be a nightmare to guard and nearly as difficult to score against.

In looking at all these positives, it’s easy to see how the Jazz might be licking their chops at putting together a deal for Conley. But of course, trades are never that easy to pull off. There will be several teams vying for Conley’s assistance and the Jazz’s assets aren’t necessarily the most appealing. That is, unless, Memphis is looking mainly for salary relief (which is quite plausible). In that case, Utah’s expiring contracts could be an appealing prize.

Derrick Favors, Ricky Rubio, Thabo Sefolosha, Ekpe Udoh and Georges Niang are all examples of players on expiring contracts, which could be viewed as appealing to the Grizzlies. A combination of Dante Exum paired with either Favors or Rubio would get the job done, as would a pairing of Rubio and Favors, though I have a hard time seeing Utah dealing both of those players, even if there is an argument to be had that it would be worth it.

A rebuilding team like Memphis would also likely require a healthy return of a draft pick or two in order to make any deal with Conley take life, which of course would be a further risk for the Jazz. If Utah feels that a starting point guard of Conley’s caliber is their missing piece to rise to the next level, they may very well go all in to acquire him. However, they’d better be sure he’s what they want, because making a move for Conley would essentially handcuff them for any big-time free agent moves this summer.

This is where the risky aspects of such a deal come into play. There’s definitely a lot to like about trading for Conley, but it’s also somewhat nerve-wracking. Any transaction would involve the Jazz giving up financial flexibility for a player with three more years on his contract (including 2018-19) that are valued at over $30 million apiece. That’s quite the financial burden to take on.

If this was a guaranteed 2016-17 version of Conley, that salary may very well be worth it considering his offensive and defensive fit with the Jazz. However, there’s also a very real concern that at 31 years old, Conley is quickly moving past his prime and may not have favorable enough of an injury history to be worth the risk.

Last season, he appeared in just 12 games out of the entire season. The year before that he missed 13 games and before that he sat out for 26 contests. Yes, he’s been durable so far this year, missing only one game, but his spotty history combined with increasing age is definitely a reason for concern.

So you can easily see the dilemma facing the Jazz. First off, they may not even be able to put together a riveting enough package to land Conley. If that’s the case (which it very well could be), then I suppose their tough decision-making ends there.

But for the sake of intrigue, let’s assume the Grizzlies like what the Jazz have to offer, then Utah has to decide who to give up for Conley and if it will truly translate over to an improved team from there. If they weigh and measure, and decide that going all in for Conley is worth it, they still have his age and injury risk to consider. All told, it’s certainly a high-risk, high-reward situation.

Adding Conley as Mitchell’s backcourt running mate and an elite scorer and defender could very well propel the Jazz to another level. Or it could hamper the financial flexibility they’ve been storing up for this summer and stick them with a less than durable player for over $30 million for the next three years. Then again, it’s also hard to attract stars to Utah. If Conley pans out, they’ll have him locked into a contract for two more years beyond this one. Trades tend to be about their only way of maintaining such elite talent.

Talk about a tough decision.

In conclusion, do I think the Jazz should go for Mike Conley? Honestly, they better at least scope things out, and I’m sure they will. I’ve been a long-time fan of Conley and think he is an exceptional player that truly could elevate the Jazz to new heights. Do I think it actually will happen? Probably not.

First off, as I’ve already alluded to, I don’t really think the Jazz will win the sweepstakes for Conley. I have a feeling there will be other suitors with better offers and that will be more desperate to give up greater assets than Utah.

Even if the Jazz were able to woo Memphis, I don’t know that the Jazz will be too bullish on taking on the financial risks, especially if they’re not convinced that Conley’s point guard position is the team’s principal need. You could argue that it is, but several have pinpointed a playmaking four as at the top of Utah’s list for quite some time.

So while a trade for Conley is certainly an intriguing thought, and I expect the Jazz will explore it, don’t be surprised if they play things a bit more conservatively and aim not to rock the boat to that extent. I wouldn’t be one bit shocked if the Jazz get involved at the trade deadline to some degree, but landing a player of Conley’s caliber and asking price may be outside of the plan.

This certainly won’t be the last of the trade rumors to surface that affect the Utah Jazz. In fact, I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg. Trade rumor season is upon us, and things are likely only about to get more and more exhilarating. February 7th simply couldn’t get here any faster.