Mike Conley did not have the striking effect some Utah Jazz fans expected he could have upon leaving the Memphis Grizzlies for a chance to start anew in Salt Lake City.
The lefty point guard was one of the best at scoring and playmaking during his time with Memphis, yet his poor performance in the 2019-20 season has brought potential trade rumors, with some even wondering if he could be traded for Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love.
Tony Jones of The Athletic put a fork in those trade rumors in his latest Jazz mailbag:
There’s almost zero chance of the Jazz moving on from Conley. First, they don’t want to. Second, even if they did, it would be exceptionally difficult to do so given his contract. Third, people need to stop associating Kevin Love’s name with the Jazz. Conley was playing his best basketball of the season, especially so because he’s finally gotten comfortable with the system. So Conley will almost definitely be in a Jazz uniform next season.
Jones is as good as it gets when it comes to the Jazz beat, and his words come from a place of wisdom.
The Grizzlies had a hard enough time trading Conley, despite being in high demand. At one point, the 6-foot-1 point guard had the highest salary since Michael Jordan, but that was quickly blown away once the supermax provision kicked in for the likes of Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook.
Conley's numbers don't look as savory this season and that salary keeps on escalating, as he's set to be owed a whopping $34.5 million in the final year of his contract.
To top it off, the Cavs have been reluctant to trade Love for pennies on the dollar, and they have a major dilemma with two young point guards to choose from. Adding a veteran like Conley to the mix would only complicate the logjam during their rebuild.
Needless to say, Conley will likely be wearing the same jersey come next season.
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