The Marc Gasol trade made it seem like it was only a matter of time before Mike Conley was going to leave Memphis. The Grizzlies sent one-half of their dynamic duo to Toronto before the NBA’s trade deadline, and with about an hour left before trades officially ended for the 2018-19 season, there was plenty of time for Conley to go somewhere else.
Despite the fact that his name was mentioned in trade rumors for some time during the lead-up to the deadline, however, 3 p.m. came and went without Conley getting traded. It was a bit surprising in light of the Gasol move that the Grizzlies wouldn’t go through a hard reset but, in the end, Conley is sticking around.
Tim MacMahon of ESPN got a bit of insight into why, exactly, Memphis would move Gasol and keep Conley. Apparently, the Grizzlies view Conley as someone who can serve as a mentor for precocious big man Jaren Jackson Jr.
One factor in the Grizzlies not trading Mike Conley: They value him as a mentor for Jaren Jackson Jr., a 19-year-old being groomed as the future face of the franchise. Conley was not eager to leave Memphis.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 7, 2019
It is a justifiable decision by Memphis, as Conley is a consummate professional and someone who would be a welcomed addition in any locker room that could use a good veteran presence. Besides, while his contract is huge, Conley is a really good player and someone who should be able to draw interest whenever the Grizzlies decide to start taking calls. But that won’t come, it seems, until they feel Jackson is ready for the future.
