Mike Conley Is Officially A Member Of The Utah Jazz.
The Memphis Grizzlies have traded away their franchise point guard Mike Conley in exchange for, Grayson Allen, Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver, the 23rd pick in this years draft, and a future first-round pick. This trade was highly anticipated as both teams shared interest throughout this season. The Utah Jazz acquires a top 10 point guard in the NBA and the Grizzlies not only dumps out Conley's horrendous contract, yet they also have a chance to have a new beginning. Looking at this trade from the surface, it seems as if the Utah Jazz managed to win this trade by a longshot, however, once you consider the objective of this trade, it almost seems as if the Grizzlies won this trade.
When looking at the current situation for the Memphis Grizzlies, they are currently attempting to rebuild. With acquiring the second pick in this year's draft, the Grizzlies are anticipated to pick Ja Morant as their future franchise point guard moving forward. The dynamic duo of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant give the Grizzlies a solid base to work with moving forward. If this duo manages to live up to the expectation, trading away, Mike Conley was arguably the best possible thing this franchise could have done. The reality is, Mike Conley has a sizable contract that would take up a quarter of any teams cap space. By trading away Conley, the cap space for Memphis would be cleared up, which means that the Grizzlies could potentially sign a third all-star or trade for one in the years to come. Another key factor about this trade was, acquiring Grayson Allen, who was the rookie for the Utah Jazz last year. Now, although Grayson Allen is not projected to be an all-star type of player, his defence and shooting display potential to become a sixth man or even a starter for this team. His hustle and aggressiveness would provide energy to the Grizzlies at any given moment. Despite the Grizzlies clearing up cap space and acquiring a young asset with potential, this trade is mainly about the Utah Jazz and what their future now holds.
Ja Morant averaged 24.5 points, 10 assists, and 5.7 rebounds while scoring 49% from the field.
Jaren Jackson Jr. in his first year in the NBA averaged 13.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, while scoring 50% from the field.
The Utah Jazz has been searching for a second scorer to fit alongside Donovan Mitchell. Looking at the first 2 years Mitchell has played in the NBA, he is already looking to become one of the best upcoming players in the NBA. Due to Donovan Mitchell's incredible impact on the Utah Jazz, this franchise has managed to skip the rebuilding phase and instead are looking to contend for an NBA championship. However, especially in this era of basketball, a team would need to be compiled with multiple all-star calibre players or above average players. The problem with the Utah Jazz is, they have a low market which is going to be hard to attract any star player unless they propose a trade or draft a potential star similar to what they did with Donovan Mitchell. By trading for Conley, the Utah Jazz not only receive the second reliable scorer they have been desperately trying to find, but they also get a decent playmaker. Although Ricky Rubio was solid for the Utah Jazz, he was only a play maker. Even though Rubio had a career year, he was not a reliable scorer for the Utah Jazz and as a point guard in this era of basketball, that position is strictly about shooting the ball. By acquiring Mike Conley however, the Utah Jazz fills that scoring void that Ricky Rubio was not able to live up to.
This trade makes the Utah Jazz a lot more dangerous considering the offence and defence this team would have. In the last 2 years, the Utah Jazz has been one of the best defensive teams in the entire NBA; however, offensively, they have been average. With the addition of Conley, the offence for this team would have the potential of being top 10 alongside their incredible defence. The contribution of Mike Conley's playoff experience, as well as scoring ability, provides the Utah Jazz with a chance to compete in the Western Conference considering that the West is open for anyone next season. The Utah Jazz has a chance to be a contender next season when examining all these factors. Although losing Jae Crowder does hurt the Jazz at the small forward position as he was a crucial part of this organization, acquiring a player such as Mike Conley was definitely worth the sacrifice. Now that the Jazz managed to acquire a reliable scorer, the question is, can the Utah Jazz take the next step to become a contender that they are projected to potentially be?
Mike Conley averaged 21 points, 6.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds while shooting 44% from the field.