NBA Trade Rumors: Utah Jazz not moving Mike Conley at deadline?

NBA Trade Rumors: The Utah Jazz may not make Mike Conley Jr. available ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline.

After a surprisingly hot start to the season, the Utah Jazz have begun to fall back to reality over the last month or so. The Jazz is only 9-17 in their last 26 games and has fallen outside the top 8 in the Western Conference.

It’s not exactly surprising, especially considering this is a team that man thought would be battling for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but it has absolutely changed the outlook for the team’s immediate future.

So much so that there is some doubt about what the Jazz will end up doing leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline. As once thought of as a surefire seller, that’s far from a certainty a month away from the deadline.

Adding to that doubt, a recent report suggests that the Jazz may not even be willing to open trade talks for Mike Conley Jr., one of the team’s more veteran players. If the Jazz is not ready to trade Conley, it’s hard to imagine them making any (selling) deals at next month’s trade deadline.

What is the thinking behind this move for the Utah Jazz?

It’s hard to envision what exactly the Jazz is thinking right now. On one hand, yes, it would be one of the better stories of the season if they somehow managed to make the postseason. But, on the other, it is foolish for Utah to fall in love with this pipe dream of making the postseason. And over the last month and a half, we’ve probably seen the real Jazz.

I guess they don’t view moving Conley as a priority considering he is still under contract for next season. In theory, it would probably be easier and there would be a more vast market if they wait a few months to trade Conley. On the other hand, nothing is ever a certainty in the trade market and if there’s a trade to be had right now for Conley, it’s probably best they make the move now.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Jazz operates over the next few weeks and I can’t help but wonder what will happen if the losing continues for the franchise. Could they pivot and emerge as all-out sellers at the deadline? Would that be all that surprising?