Phoenix Suns: Pros and cons of trading for Mike Conley
The Memphis Grizzlies are making Mike Conley available ahead of the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline, but should the Phoenix Suns bite? Here are the pros and cons.
The Phoenix Suns have desperately needed an upgrade at point guard for, well, over a year now. The Memphis Grizzlies just made one available on the trade block.
According to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojanrowski, the Grizz will entertain trade offers for both Mike Conley and Marc Gasol ahead of the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline. After losing 19 of their last 23 games to fall 6.5 games behind the 8-seed in the Western Conference, and with a top-8 protected first round draft pick at stake, it’s no surprise Memphis is finally considering moving the last vestiges of the Grit-N-Grind era.
The question is, should the Suns bite? Between young players, valuable draft picks and salary cap filler, they certainly have the right combination of assets to get a deal done if they see Conley as their guy.
The Grizzlies, who will be aiming to blow it up and rebuild through the draft alongside franchise cornerstone Jaren Jackson Jr. and Dillon Brooks, won’t be players in 2019 NBA free agency. This means they’ll most likely be willing to take on an ugly contract with a few years remaining, a young player with upside and a draft pick or two for Conley’s services.
As far as ugly contracts go, Ryan Anderson makes sense. The final year of his contract for next season ($21.3 million) is non-guaranteed, but his $20.4 million salary for this year would be crucial in constructing a trade package. From there, the Suns would add a young wing with upside — T.J. Warren or Josh Jackson would make the most sense — as well as Elie Okobo and a draft pick or two.
Your Marc Gasol and Mike Conley trade proposals should look as following:
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) January 23, 2019
Grizzlies send Mike/Marc/both
Memphis receives: Big bad contract expiring NOT this year but either next year, or within 2-3 seasons, a young player of rotation non-star value, multiple far future picks
Would the Suns’ top-3 protected pick for 2019 get the job done? Phoenix’s first-rounder is arguably the most valuable pick Memphis could expect in any trade negotiations for the aging Conley, and even a top-1 protection would still leave the door open for Zion Williamson if the Suns won the NBA Draft Lottery.
Outside of the Duke phenom and maybe one or two other prospects, no one in this draft class is really worth salivating over, especially on a team that already has so many young players to develop. Maybe the Grizzlies would prefer an unprotected 2020 pick, or a 2020 pick with a top-1 protection, but in either case, the Suns’ first-rounders have more value than most of the teams that will be targeting Conley because of their current status as a league bottom-feeder.
Assuming it took Anderson, Warren/Jackson and Phoenix’s top-3 protected 2019 draft pick, should Phoenix pull the trigger? Here’s a look at the pros and cons of a potential trade for Mike Conley.