The Utah Jazz have been relentless in their pursuit of Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, despite being fully aware of his preference to play for an Eastern Conference team, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times.

A deal with the Jazz might include a point guard swap for dime maestro Ricky Rubio, one the Grizzlies might not be fully convinced with given his lack of upside at age 28 (only three years younger than Conley).

While the Ohio State product has a preference, the Grizzlies might decide to wait until the offseason to trade him, allowing for time to expand his list of teams he'd be willing to play for.

Memphis is in no obligation to acquiesce to Conley's desires, but given how he's played his entire 12-year career with the Grizzlies, the front office owes him as much as respecting his wishes.

Failure to do so would anger a fan base already sad the last vestiges of the Grit ‘N' Grind culture are coming to an end, with lifelong Grizzly Marc Gasol on the trade block as well.

If Conley changes his mind, Utah might not be the worst landing spot, as playing alongside a young talent like Donovan Mitchell could allow him to play off the ball more and give in to his recent scoring ways, allowing him to flourish for a team with playoff aspirations.

With only hours left before the NBA trade deadline, there's only so many teams that could take in Conley and the $97.5 million he could be owed between this season and the next two.