The West is finally vulnerable and every smart team who thinks they have a chance to compete is doing all they can to make that a realistic possibility for their franchise. The Lakers traded away their future for the chance to win with Anthony Davis now and the Jazz have traded away their first rounder in this draft, a 2020 pick, Grayson Allen (the 21st pick from last year), Kyle Korver, and Jae Crowder to the Grizzlies for Mike Conley Jr.
This is clearly a win now move by this team who feels that their best chance to make the NBA finals is this upcoming season. They are already an experienced playoff team who made the semi finals in 2017 and the first round this year (losing to Houston both times). Their lack of playmaking has been a massive hole in this teams structure for a few years now.
Donovan Mitchell has been a revelation for them but he just isn’t experienced enough as a playmaker and shooter to lead them to finals yet. He had the 7th highest usage rate last season (31.6) which resulted in nearly 3 turnovers per game on only 4.2 assists. This trade allows Conley to carry that load which will help Donovan Mitchell long term. This move will allow Mitchell to play off-ball more which I think is an opportunity he’ll revel in.
The Jazz needed Conley to help push them over the edge and give Mitchell the help he needs on offense.
Conley also replaces Ricky Rubio defensively. Rubio was one of the best defenders in the league at the point guard position last year (Utah’s defensive rating as a team was 106.1 - second best in the league) but teams consistently went under screens when they defended him and never respected his offensive game.
When reports came out last month that the Jazz had no intention to bring back Rubio you figured a move like this was on the horizon.
Conley also completely changes their offense and gives this team a much higher ceiling than they had before. He can create plays for Rudy Gobert and can also play off the ball when Ingles brings the ball up and initiates the offense.
Conley makes this team an instant Western Conference contender and this trade also officially ends the era of grit and grind in Memphis. With Tony Allen, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, and Mike Conley all on different teams we can officially say goodbye to the end of an incredibly fun style of basketball - although at times it could be tough to watch because of how physical it was.
Memphis also fully embraces their rebuild as they try to find a new identity and build around Jaren Jackson Jr. and this year’s draft picks.
The final question I have out of this trade is what happens to Memphis basketball now? This is a team that needed success to be a viable small market team for the NBA. Memphis may not have the luxury of embracing a full 3-4 year tank because it may not be an option for them financially. Will Memphis end up moving? New Orleans looks like it’s on a clear path to stay in town with a new young core so they may not have to move. Will Memphis? The rumors of a team being moved to Seattle grow stronger every offseason. If Memphis isn’t financially successful then they could be the first to move.