Utah Jazz: Analyzing the Mike Conley trade

With the Utah Jazz reportedly acquiring Mike Conley from the Memphis Grizzlies, let’s analyze the trade and where it puts Utah moving forward.

The Utah Jazz have appeared to make their first move of the NBA offseason.

Ahead of Thursday’s 2019 NBA Draft in Brooklyn, the Jazz have reportedly acquired a player that they’ve been after for quite some time.

According to both ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic‘s Shams Charania, Utah has traded for Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley Jr. in exchange for three players and two first round draft picks.

Here’s the full breakdown of the trade between the Jazz and the Grizzlies, as reported by Wojnarowski and Charania on Wednesday morning:

Initially, the trade seems like a good one for the Jazz, as they get a player that they have long coveted and one that could very well help them take the next step as they look to return to the Western Conference playoffs in 2019-20.

Conley will fit in nicely alongside stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert as cornerstone pieces in Salt Lake City both now and in the future, and Conley also provides Utah with veteran leadership moving forward.

Last season, Conley — who will turn 32 years old in October — averaged a career-high 21.1 points, 6.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 33.5 minutes per game.

The point guard will provide Utah with another option offensively, while he will also help the team continue to be a solid defensive squad on the other end of the floor.

Memphis, which was looking to move on from Conley and his large contract ahead of Thursday’s NBA Draft, will now go after Ja Morant out of Murray State with the second overall pick.

Pairing Morant with a young and still promising player such as Grayson Allen, along with a bruising wing like Jae Crowder and some draft considerations, will put the Grizzlies in a nice position moving forward as they try and rebuild.

Kyle Korver, who was also involved in the reported deal, will likely either retire or agree to a buyout with Memphis prior to the regular season.

Overall, this trade appears to be a solid move for both teams. Memphis gets rid of Conley’s contract with the hopes of turning a fast rebuild, while Utah gets a top-tier point guard that it has long coveted and was able to hang onto Derrick Favors to keep the starting five in Salt Lake City intact.

In a move that many thought would come sooner or later, but took a while to actually complete, Mike Conley is now a member of the Utah Jazz. The addition of this point guard in Salt Lake City makes things in the Western Conference even more interesting ahead of the upcoming season.