Acquiring marquee players come at a price in the NBA. That's even true leading up to the trade deadline, especially in cases when the player and incumbent team in question have already agreed going their separate ways would make the most sense for both sides.
Quick, someone explain that reality to the Utah Jazz who, to this point, are apparently holding firm on their stance of not including backup guard Dante Exum in a deal for Memphis Grizzlies star Mike Conley.
Conventional wisdom has long been that Dante Exum would be an integral part of any trade package Utah dangled for an upgrade before Thursday's afternoon trade deadline. But Tony Jones of The Athletic has heard differently, reporting during an appearance on 929 ESPN Radio earlier today that the Jazz's “final offer” to the Grizzlies for Mike Conley doesn't include the former top-five pick.
Utah's final offer to the Grizzlies for Mike Conley, per @Tjonesonthenba on the show: First-round pick, second-round pick, and expirings, dollar for dollar. Grizzlies asked for Exum and were told no.
— John Martin (@JohnMartin929) February 6, 2019
Exum has struggled to live up to expectations since Utah took him fourth overall in the 2014 draft. Though injuries have admittedly played a major part in his lack of development, the Australia native has also failed to improve a suspect jumper that makes him a tricky fit in the modern NBA, especially on a Jazz team that routinely plays with two traditional big men and starts Ricky Rubio at point guard.
Bringing Conley in would be a major boon for Utah, which often suffers the ill-effects of slotting a non-threatening shooter next to rising star Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt. Conley would immediately address that issue, while also affording the Jazz with late-clock and crunch-time playmaking dynamism that far too frequently falls to Mitchell.
Is acquiring Conley worth parting with Exum, though? General manager Dennis Lindsey and company, for whatever reason, don't seem to think so.
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