The Utah Jazz made the move last season to trade Mike Conley to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a deal that saw Russell Westbrook and a first-round pick come to the Jazz in return from the Los Angeles Lakers. And frankly, the Jazz have not rebounded since that trade. The team is just 14-28 since February 8, 2023.
And it doesn't look like it's going to get better any time soon. The Jazz are in a tailspin as of late, with a team that isn't playing well together at all right now. But for Conley, it seemed like he didn't want to leave the Jazz, speaking to The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski recently (via Bleacher Report), Conley revealed that he's still a bit hurt by the trade, saying;
"You can make a lot of money, but if you get punched in the face, you're still like, 'Oh my God, that hurt. Yeah, I'll be fine. But at this moment, it's hurting me. So let me feel this for a second here and then move on."
And move on he will. He's helped gotten the Minnesota Timberwolves to be the top team in the Western Conference with a record of 11-3. And they're doing it with three of centers ranking as the second, third and fourth highest-scoring players on the team. They're able to do that because of Anthony Edwards play-making, and Conley's defense, passing and leadership.
Three things the Jazz no longer have at any one guard position. Yes, Conley was getting older, but the Jazz, even to this point in the season, don't have anyone who can even sort of replace Conley as the top guy at the point guard position. His impact on the game is obvious and the Jazz are struggling without his steady hand and adaptability in the lineup and they will continue to do so until they can find someone who plays a lot like Conley.
But good luck with that happening.