The NBA trade deadline is just under 24 hours away, and the Jazz are wrapped up in a series of rumors.
Most importantly, the Jazz are still pursuing Mike Conley, but he may be unsure on whether he wants to play in Utah at this point in his career. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that Conley informed his agent he’d rather move to an Eastern Conference team, presumably because of the easier access to an All-Star appearance. At 31, Conley is probably the best current player in the NBA never to appear in an All-Star game.
If the Jazz were still able to acquire Conley for the rumored Ricky Rubio, Derrick Favors, and a first round pick, I’d pull the trigger, regardless of Conley’s hesitancy. The Jazz would have three months, and a playoff run to convince Conley to stay, and if he didn’t like it, would once again be an attractive trade piece this summer. The Jazz could likely recoup a similar haul for Conley with just one year left on his contract.
If the Jazz miss out on Conley, they could look elsewhere for point guards as an upgrade over Ricky Rubio. One name that is clearly on the trade market, and has been linked to the Jazz in the past is Kyle Lowry. Lowry is a four time all-star, but appears to have run his course in Toronto, and could make sense to provide a more reliable scoring uptick in Utah.
The Jazz are also still looking for a big man to stretch the floor, and have been rumored to be looking at Nikola Mirotic, as they were last year. The Pelicans are reportedly looking for a first round pick in this years draft in exchange for Mirotic, which might be a slight bit steep for a short rental as he’ll be a free agent this summer. However, this year’s draft is not perceived to be very deep, so a pick in the 20’s this year may be more similar to a mid level second round pick in other drafts.
