NBA Trade Deadline Preview: 24 trade candidates and possible deals

Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies 

Likeliness to get traded: 8/10

Mike Conley, like his teammate Marc Gasol, has had a great career, but due to a disappointing season he now finds himself on the trade block. He has twice led the league in steals and made second team All-Defense once, but now at 31 years old his age and the trajectory of the team are unfortunately no longer aligned.

At 31, usually you are starting to get weary of age affecting a player’s performance, but really this has statistically been one of the best seasons of Conley’s career. I think there are a number of teams that will be interested in trading for Conley and out of anyone on the list he is probably the one that I would like to be traded the most. I think he and the Grizzlies are in a place where there will be no ill will towards each other if he were traded and I would hate to see him finish his career with the Grizzlies who look primed to move towards tanking.

Conley is a tough vet who is a great defender and has a lot of playoff experience. He would be a great addition to a contender needing an upgrade at the point guard position and I think he deserves another shot at playoff success.

Trade Idea: Jazz send Ricky Rubio, Derrick Favors, Grayson Allen, and a First-Rounder to the Grizzlies for Mike Conley and JaMychal Green