Phoenix Suns: Pros and cons of trading for Mike Conley

Con: …when he’s healthy

The biggest problem with Mike Conley over the last few years has been staying healthy. Last year, he missed all but 12 games because of an Achilles injury and then season-ending heel surgery. The year before, he missed 13 games due to a fractured vertebrae in his back. The year before that, he missed 26 games thanks to a sore left Achilles and then a left foot injury. He missed 12 games the year before that, and nine games the year prior.

The point is, Mike Conley hasn’t played more than 70 games since the 2013-14 season. For reference on how long ago that was, it’s the last time Phoenix had a winning record by the end of the season.

Missing 10-20 games a season wouldn’t be as much of a problem for the second- or third-best guy on a contender, but for a rebuilding team like Phoenix that would need him available as much as possible to compete, that’s an issue.

It becomes a more pressing concern when Booker’s own injury-proneness gets factored in. If they both stay healthy, the Suns finally make a leap. If they don’t, Phoenix continues to sputter, failing to build any type of cohesion with its best players in and out of the lineup like they’ve experienced over the last 1-2 years.

Given both of their injury histories, and the fact that Conley will turn 32 years old before the start of next season, there’s definite risk involved here.