While much of the discussion surrounding trade rumors has been dominated recently by Anthony Davis, there are still other big names up in the air that could be shuffled around the league prior to February 7th. Out of those names, it seems the most likely candidate to wind up on a new team may be Mike Conley, who the Memphis Grizzlies made available for the right price in late January. Among the possible destinations, like the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons, one team in particular has been increasingly aggressive in their attempts to get a deal done for Conley: the Utah Jazz.
Not only are they an incredibly likely trade partner for Memphis, they could be the best landing spot for Conley.
The Jazz have bounced back from a less than impressive start to the season that saw them go 11-12 in through the months of October and November. Back over .500, they are currently 30-24, earning them the 7th seed in the Western Conference.
Utah is starting to resemble the team that finished just two games shy of a 50-win season and upset the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs a season ago, but there is still one glaring difference. Ricky Rubio’s play this season is showing that his 2017-18 campaign was, to some extent at least, an anomalous performance.
Rubio was a big part of their success last season, averaging career highs almost across the board. He was putting up more points per game and shooting a better percentage both from deep and overall despite playing his fewest number of minutes per game.
This season, his production has been more inline with his career averages, as his 3-point percentage is back down to under 33 percent, and he is barely shooting above 40 percent overall. Most notable, though, is his diminished ability to be a great defensive presence on the perimeter and play off-ball alongside Donovan Mitchell. Averaging 1.3 steals per game isn’t horrible, but it is not what the team expects from Rubio, who averages 1.9 for his career.
His numbers this season help explain why the Jazz have aimed to make a deal happen, sending out Rubio and a young player, such as Dante Exum or Grayson Allen, in an exchange for Mike Conley.
The Grizzlies point guard is one of the best defensive guards in the league and has plenty to offer as a scorer, as well. In Memphis’ last five seasons, Conley has been one of his teams primary scoring options and carried much of the offensive load.
Conley has also been able to thrive off the ball while other players like Marc Gasol took over the role of the facilitator on certain plays. He is a reliable 3-point shooter, too, averaging 35.9 percent on the season and 37.5 percent for his career. Conley is a perfect fit for Utah, who can absolutely use as much added scoring and outside defense as they can get their hands on.
With other teams competing for his services, the Jazz may need to act fast, though. Memphis has shown a desire to focus on rebuilding the team, aiming to acquire young players to place alongside Jaren Jackson Jr. This means that the Griz may not value Rubio for much more than matching salary, and Utah could be forced to throw in a first-round pick to get the deal done.
The Western Conference doesn’t look like it is going to be any less of a bloodbath down the stretch of the season, so pulling this off before Thursday’s deadline should be the primary goal for the Jazz front office. If they can make it happen, adding Conley gives them a real chance to make some noise in the postseason.
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