Milwaukee Bucks: 3 possible trade targets from Northwest Division
By Dalton Sell
Milwaukee Bucks: 3 possible trade targets from Northwest Division – Mike Conley, Utah Jazz
Mike Conley has been one of the more underrated guards in the association over the past decade, playing in a Western Conference chock-full of talent at the position. After 12 seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, Conley got shipped off to the Utah Jazz and had a turbulent 2019-20 campaign.
Many believed the acquisition of Conley made the Jazz an under the radar choice to go deep in this year’s postseason, but injuries derailed their season. On top of sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic suffering a wrist injury that caused him to miss the entirety of the NBA’s restart, Conley battled a nagging hamstring issue that limited him to just 47 games.
When the guard did suit up, he had a subpar season by his typical standards, averaging 14.4 points on .409/.375/.827 shooting splits, 4.4 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game. While he had a lacking regular season, Conley appeared rejuvenated in the postseason, averaging 19.8 points on .484/.529/.864 shooting splits, 5.2 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals across five contests.
Milwaukee’s desire to find a suitable point guard, one that can perform well in the postseason, is a looming concern, and Conley fits the profile. The 33-year-old would give the Bucks another ballhandler to alleviate pressure off of Giannis Antetokounmpo while providing a solid two-way presence in the guard slot.
The challenging part with Conley, however, is his contract. The guard has a player option worth approximately $34.5 million for next season, which he will almost unquestionably accept. Milwaukee would have to give up quite the haul to land the veteran to match salaries, perhaps too much for a player that just had one of his lesser statistical seasons in recent memory.
Regardless, as they scour the market for a point guard, Mike Conley’s situation with the Utah Jazz could be interesting to monitor.