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UPDATE 11:49AM MT
The Utah Jazz have presented their final offer to the Grizzlies. No takebacks or backsies. Grizzlies were told no on Dante Exum.
Utah's final offer to the Grizzlies for Mike Conley, per @Tjonesonthenba on the show: First-round pick, second-round pick, and expirings, dollar for dollar. Grizzlies asked for Exum and were told no.
— John Martin (@JohnMartin929) February 6, 2019
UPDATE 11:33AM MT
It appears that the Memphis Grizzlies are trying to get Utah to jump through YET another hoop. Favors, Rubio, and a 1st evidently weren’t enough and now the Grizzlies want two 1st Round draft picks for Mike Conley. Marc Stein has the report.
Memphis is said to be seeking multiple first-round picks in exchange for Conley ... and we have seen two deals in the last week (Porzingis and Tobias) that had teams (Dallas and Philly) willing to go to those lengths
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 6, 2019
This would most likely mean Utah is giving up a 2019, and a 2021 pick. There had been reports of Utah wanting to pair the 1st rounder with a 2nd round draft pick. We’ll see if that goes through for Utah. This deal still feels like it’s going to go the wire. We’ll see which team blinks when the clock strikes at the deadline.
ORIGINAL
According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the asking price for Mike Conley just went up ... again. He is reporting that the current offer for the Memphis Grizzlies’ Mike Conley from Utah is Derrick Favors, Ricky Rubio, and a 1st round draft pick. This could be why we heard earlier today that the Detroit Pistons were getting cold feet and powering down their pursuit of Mike Conley when the price was getting too rich for their blood.
The Jazz are making a strong push to acquire the 31-year-old point guard, as first reported by The Athletic’s Tony Jones. The Jazz are offering a deal with Ricky Rubio and Derrick Favors serving as the (expiring) salary fillers necessary to complete a trade, plus one first-round pick, according to league sources. Though Conley is known for his playmaking, he’d be an ideal fit next to Donovan Mitchell because of his consistent perimeter shooting. Conley has shot 46.4 percent off screens over the past three seasons on an admittedly low volume of 106 attempts. Playing alongside Mitchell, Conley could see an uptick in off-ball opportunities.
The Pistons also have interest in Conley, and so did the Pacers prior to Victor Oladipo’s injury. The sense around the league has been that Memphis won’t settle for a low return for Conley, but there’s a real chance that he’ll be dealt by the deadline.
Right now it appears that the Utah Jazz have the inside lane to Mike Conley’s services if they want him. This offer feels rich. Giving up Rubio and Favors for Mike Conley is a lot before you get to the 1st rounder, but it also seems fair. Dennis Lindsey talks a lot about how both teams need to win in trades and feel they got what they wanted while also being fair. This accomplishes those goals.
If the Jazz were to pull the trigger on this trade, they would need to scavenge on the buyout market. They could target Jabari Parker if he ends up being bought out in Chicago. Or ... gasp ... Carmelo Anthony. Whatever the pursuit for a backup 4 after this proposed trade, Utah will miss the culture, services, and locker room presence that both Rubio and Favors have brought Utah, especially Favors who is the last remaining piece of the Core 4.