NBA trade rumors: Grizzlies, Jazz discussing deal involving guards Mike Conley and Ricky Rubio

Conley, who has spent his entire career with the Grizzlies, still has two years and $66M left on his current contract

The Memphis Grizzlies saw star point guard Mike Conley miss most of the 2017-18 campaign.

After a 22-60 record last season, the Grizzlie were looking to see how far their core of Conley and Marc Gasol could take them. Now it appears that the franchise is looking to trade at least one of the talented players. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Grizzlies and Utah Jazz are talking about a potential trade in which Conley would go to the Jazz in exchange for veteran point guard in Ricky Rubio.

Utah has had exploratory discussions with Memphis on a potential swap headlined by Mike Conley and Ricky Rubio in advance of next week's trade deadline, according to league sources.

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 1, 2019

Stein also is reporting that additional players would likely have to be included in the deal. In addition, the Jazz would likely have to absorb the remaining two years and $66 million that Conley has on his current contract. The Jazz are reportedly very interested in acquiring Conley, but the financial implications are a lot higher with the hefty price that remains on the Grizzlies guard's deal. Stein also notes that the Grizzlies are likely looking for draft picks in exchange for Conley in addition to a player of Rubio's caliber.

It doesn't look like the Grizzlies are currently a team that is going to be a contender in the Western Conference. Memphis currently owns a 20-32 record and sits in 14th place in the 15-team conference, and remains eight games out of the final playoff spot in the West.

Conley has been a very productive guard since being the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. The former Ohio State standout is currently averaging 20.2 points to go along with 6.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 51 games this season. Conley is also knocking down 35.9 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

Meanwhile, the Jazz, back in action on Friday against the Hawks (9 p.m. ET -- watch on fuboTV with the NBA League Pass extension), currently have a 29-23 record and sit in seventh place in the Western Conference. The team already has made tweaks to their roster this season as they acquired sharpshooting veteran guard Kyle Korver from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a deal that sent Alec Burks to Cleveland. In 30 games with the Jazz, Korver is averaging 9.9 points per contest while also drilling a team-high 40.9 percent of his shots from long-range.

Rubio has been a serviceable point guard during his time with Utah. During the 2018-19 season, Rubio is averaging 12.8 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 32.8 percent from beyond the arc. Rubio would be a solid addition for the Grizzlies in the short term, but he's set to become a free agent this summer. 

The Grizzlies are certainly looking to begin a rebuild with a good amount centered around Jaren Jackson Jr., who the team selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.