The Memphis Grizzlies have finally traded franchise star Mike Conley.
After spending weeks leading into the trade deadline in February 2019 trying to part ways with Conley, Memphis has reportedly traded the veteran point guard to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver, Grayson Allen, the 23rd pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and a future first-round draft pick, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Memphis has traded guard Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz for Grayson Allen, Kyle Korver and Jae Crowder, the 23rd pick in Thursday's Draft and a future first-round pick, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 19, 2019
Conley had been with the Grizzlies since being drafted with the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. During his tenure in Memphis, he led the franchise to its greatest period of success, resulting in seven consecutive playoff appearances from 2011 until 2017 along with a Western Conference finals appearance during the 2012-13 season.
Shortly after news of the trade Conley took to Twitter to thank Memphis and also share his excitement about heading to Utah:
What more can I say about my city! You guys made me the man I am today! Memphis is home. Always! 🙌🏾🙌🏾..Time for another chapter! Excited to give all I have to The Jazz and the city of Utah! #LetsGetIt #GodsPlan #takenote 💪🏾
— Mike Conley (@mconley11) June 19, 2019
Conley wrote: "What more can I say about my city! You guys made me the man I am today! Memphis is home. Always! Time for another chapter! Excited to give all I have to The Jazz and the city of Utah!"
Adding the veteran point guard is a nice move for the Jazz, and one that SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh projects will boost their win total over 50. Per the SportsLine projections, the Jazz are likely to take the No. 2 seed in the West.
Jazz | Wins | Playoffs | Seed | Win West | Win NBA title |
Before trade | 47.3 | 87.6% | 7 | 5.4% | 1.8% |
With Conley | 51.6 | 98.3% | 2 | 13.3% | 5.6% |
IMPACT | +4.3 | +10.7% | +5 | +7.9% | +3.8% |
It's worth mentioning that despite never making an All-NBA or All-Star squad, Conley was highly sought-after as a free agent during the 2016 offseason. He eventually signed a five-year deal worth $153 million, which at the time was the largest contract in NBA history.
On the other side of Wednesday's deal, the Grizzlies acquire a couple of pieces that will help in their rebuild as they officially move on from the Grit'N'Grind era featuring Conley and Marc Gasol. They not only acquire the 23rd overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, they also land a future first-round pick and Allen, who was a first-round pick of the Jazz in 2018. Although he saw inconsistent playing time during his rookie season, the Duke product showed his potential when he erupted for 40 points in an overtime loss against the Los Angeles Clippers during the final week of the regular season.
As far as the major piece of the trade deal is concerned, the 31-year-old Conley will now look to elevate the Jazz into being an elite team in the Western Conference heading into the 2019-20 season. Utah lost in the first round of the 2019 playoffs after advancing to the semifinals in each of the prior two seasons.
