What Utah Is Losing In Mike Conley Trade
Jun 19, 2019, 11:42 AM | Updated: Jun 20, 2019, 10:04 am
(Photo by Christian Petersen, Matthew Stockman, Harry How/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – It has been widely reported that the Utah Jazz will acquire Memphis Grizzlies veteran point guard Mike Conley, but will lose three players which include some fan favorites as well as some future draft picks.
ESPN reported that the Jazz will send Kyle Korver, Jae Crowder and Grayson Allen, as well as the 23rd pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft and a future first round pick.
Fans have grown to love having some of these in Salt Lake City, but the Jazz will move on from them in order to receive an upgrade at the point guard position, something that the Jazz have needed.
To my guys man… thank you for everything you brought to the locker room…. to the court and to me as a person! I respect the hell out of you guys for everything! It’s always love on this side as y’all know 💯❤️🙏🏾 @CJC9BOSS @GraysonJAllen @KyleKorver pic.twitter.com/YaimPcx0y5
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) June 19, 2019
MORE:
- Reports: Jazz Acquire Mike Conley; Send Korver, Crowder, Allen To Memphis
- Jensen: Mike Conley Trade Makes Jazz Instant Postseason Contender
- Donovan Mitchell: ‘Conley Very Underrated Player’
- Jazz Fans Have Mixed Feelings After Mike Conley Trade
- Jazz Players Welcome Mike Conley To Salt Lake City
Kyle Korver
The Jazz acquired Korver early last season, bringing him back to Utah for the second time in his career. They sent Alec Burks to Cleveland in order to get the sharpshooter back to Salt Lake City.
At age 38, Korver is now a great locker room guy. After 16 seasons in the NBA, Korver is contemplating retirement and will likely retire now that he is in Memphis, who is rebuilding their team. Korver played a big role on the Jazz this past season, not only with some big performances, but more so in the Playoffs last year as a leader to Donovan Mitchell.
This past season, Korver averaged 9.1 points per game and shot 38 percent from downtown. He has one year left on his contract and is set to make $7.5 million.
Jae Crowder
Crowder was a very aggressive defender for a Jazz team that emphasizes defense. He played two and a half seasons with the Jazz after being traded from Cleveland during the 2017-18 season. In 2018-19, he averaged 11.9 points per game to go with 4.8 rebounds.
His inconsistent shooting from the perimeter was an issue at times for the Jazz this past season, shooting 33 percent from downtown. He made it known multiple times during his stint with the Jazz that he enjoyed playing in Salt Lake City.
He will be a good piece for Memphis and provides that aggressive and physical mentality that Memphis has instilled in their teams over the last 10 years.
Grayson Allen
Allen had a good rookie season with the Jazz during the 2018-19 season. The No. 21 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft averaged 5.6 points in 38 games played this past season. He scored 40 points in the regular season finale against the Los Angeles Clippers, but also spent time with the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s G-League affiliate.
The incoming sophomore didn’t get much of a chance to prove himself as a rookie. The main problem was his defense, which kept him out of the rotation, but Allen made it known that he wanted to work on it.
Draft Picks
The Jazz traded the 23rd pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft. On paper, the draft is only five players deep. Unless the Jazz found a diamond in the rough, the 23rd pick isn’t much value to them as they are trying to take the next step and make a deep run in the postseason.
They also sent a protected 2020 first-round pick to Memphis. The pick will convey as a late-lottery pick in 2020 or 2021, or become a lightly-protected pick from 2022-24.
Ricky Rubio
It is official that Rubio will not return to the Utah Jazz. He is an unrestricted free agent and according to Rubio, Utah told him that he was not a priority to the team in free agency. After the trade was reported on Twitter, Rubio sent out a tweet that looks to be directed to the trade.
He spent two seasons with Jazz, posting 12.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 145 games.
… it’s time to just be happy. Being angry, sad and overthinking isn’t worth it anymore. Just let things flow. Be positive
— Ricky Rubio (@rickyrubio9) June 19, 2019