Mike Conley is drawing trade interest from at least three teams as free agency nears.
The Celtics, Pacers and Jazz could make a deal for Conley, NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said Tuesday during ESPN’s mock draft special. One caveat though, is the interest from Boston could be dependent on whether Kyrie Irving leaves the team in free agency.
Woj names Utah, Indiana, and Boston *IF* Kyrie Irving leaves as teams that would be interested in trading for Mike Conley.
— Sagar Trika (@BlazersBySagar) June 12, 2019
Conley was at the center of trade talks before February's deadline, but a deal failed to come together and he remained with Memphis. He is expected to be a trade candidate again this summer as the Grizzlies look to rebuild around their young talent.
It's been reported the Grizzlies plan to select guard Ja Morant out of Murray State with the second pick of the NBA draft, which is a major sign that Conley's 12-plus years with the Grizzlies could end soon. Memphis does also have the option to keep Conley and play the two together in the backcourt until a suitable deal is found, allowing rookie Morant to gain confidence and experience under veteran Conley.
Conley has two years remaining on his contract after he signed a five-year, $153 million extension with the Grizzlies in the summer of 2016, but he still brings value and is expected to be moved fairly easily given his high productivity and the fact that he's still only 31 years old.
Conley has spent his entire NBA career in Memphis. During the 2018-19 season, he averaged 21.1 points and 6.4 assists per game while knocking down 36.4 percent of his 3-point attempts.