The Los Angeles Clippers, despite their uneven play for much of the 2022-23 season, still have lofty championship aspirations, thanks in large part to Kawhi Leonard's presence. The Clippers need only to remain healthy. However, the injury bug appears unwilling to leave the Clippers alone, with John Wall as its latest victim following an abdominal injury. Thus, it makes sense for the Clippers to gear up on even more offensive weapons for the stretch run. Enter Mike Conley.
With the Utah Jazz tumbling down to ninth in the Western Conference standings following a hot start to the season, they could be sellers at the trade deadline, with Mike Conley one such asset they're willing to move. And the Clippers appear to be one such team who have shown interest in a trade for Conley, according to Marc Stein.
Conley is not the player he once was back when he was with the Memphis Grizzlies. In fact, he isn't even the same caliber of player he was back when he made the All-Star team in 2021. Now 35 years old, Conley is currently in the midst of the worst scoring season of his career since his rookie campaign. Moreover, he is shooting a career-worst percentage from the field, at 38 percent.
However, Mike Conley is still a terrific floor general and he can still control the tempo of the game and help his more offensively-gifted teammates get to their spots. He is currently eighth in the league at dimes per game, with 7.5 a night, and his presence could help relieve the playmaking burden that the Clippers' two stars in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George carry on a nightly basis.
It's unclear which assets the Clippers could dangle that the Jazz would be interested in. Following their massive trades this past offseason, the Jazz appear hellbent on acquiring future first-round picks for pieces of their old core. Thanks to the Paul George trade in 2019, the Clippers lack draft assets that the Jazz so desire.
Moreover, thanks to Conley $22.7 million salary, the Clippers will have to relinquish a few of their rotation players in a trade, which could understandably make the front office hesitant of such a move. And with Terance Mann filling in admirably as the team's new starting point guard, the Clippers could instead set their sights on improving a different part of their team, namely their frontcourt behind Ivica Zubac.
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