One thing's for sure regarding Mike Conley -- he won't be in Memphis past Thursday's 3 p.m. trade deadline. As to where he'll end up, it's not yet clear.
The Pistons' offer, as of Wednesday afternoon, was Reggie Jackson and a first-round pick, according to TJ Jones of The Athletic. The Grizzles also want Luke Kennard, but Detroit hasn't been willing to include him.
Detroit's offer to Memphis for Conley, according to Jones: Reggie Jackson and a first-rounder. Grizzlies asked for Luke Kennard, Pistons balked.
— John Martin (@JohnMartin929)
February 6, 2019 Utah has made a couple different offers, the first reportedly featuring Ricky Rubio and Derrick Favors. Per Jones, Utah's final offer is one first-round pick, one second-round pick and matching expiring contracts.
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 Per Marc Stein, the Grizzlies want multiple first-round picks for Conley -- similar to what the Knicks received last week for Kristaps Porzingis and what the Clippers received on Wednesday for Tobias Harris.
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 Stein adds that "Detroit and Utah are deeply interested" in Conley, "but are yet to meet Memphis' asking price."
A potential twist in the Conely sweepstakes came Wednesday afternoon when
Brian Windhorst reported that Conley's agent said his cleint "doesn't want to play in Utah" and that he "prefers the Eastern Conference."
Of course, Conley, who's 31 years old and carries cap hits of $32.5 million in 2019-20 and $34.5 million in 2020-21, doesn't have a say in the matter. Memphis can trade him anywhere it pleases, and surely the organization will take the best offer on the table regardless of Conley's preferences.
The Pistons are 24-29 and 1.5 games out of the last playoff spot in the East. They dealt pending unrestricted free agent Reggie Bullock to the Lakers Tuesday night and shipped Stanley Johnson to the Bucks Wednesday morning, but owner Tom Gores made it clear last week he wants the team to make a playoff push.
"I have a buyer's mentality," he said, adding that he'd be more than willing to enter the luxury tax to add a star player.
Conley, who's averaging 20.4 points and 6.3 assists in 53 games this season, looks like the Pistons' man. It's just a matter of how far they're willing to go to get him.
