Predicting What Jazz Will do With Mike Conley & Bojan Bogdanovic
This summer is becoming a blockbuster offseason and the Utah Jazz joined in with the first domino making Rudy Gobert’s trade official this week. The trade market is highly volatile right now as the implosion of the Brooklyn Nets, with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving asking out, influenced contenders to line up with offers.
For now, the Jazz are betting on Donovan Mitchell and shutting down any offers on the young star. Media and executives around the league are unsure of the direction that the Jazz are heading with what they are labeling as a “retool” rather than a “rebuild”.
But insiders reassure that the Jazz are not done dealing, even with Mitchell staying.
No seems to be off-limits, with names floating around for the past couple of months. Outside of Mitchell and Gobert, most prominently, Bojan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley have been the subject of trade rumors.
At 33 and 35, respectively, Conley and Bogdanovic both still contractual carry value and as players. A veteran point guard is still a commodity that many teams need.
We'll see whether a team like the Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, or New Orleans Pelicans team goes after Conley. As for Bogdanovic, on an expiring deal, he could be a great asset to extract something in return before his pending free agency in 2023.
With all the noise around Durant and Irving, it's unlikely we'll see a deal from the Jazz before the Nets figure out what to do with their two superstars. But preparing a deal centered around Bogdanovic, Conley, and the several newly-acquired draft picks could be a package to get valuable assets in return.
It's hard to predict Conley coming back this season, in light of the aggressive shopping the Jazz are doing, but nothing is a sure thing. The Jazz don’t have to rush on any move, but they need to show Mitchell the path they're taking to get back to contention.
If Conley stays and a deal isn’t agreed upon, the Jazz must work on reevaluating his role with the team. At the twilight of his career, Conley has shown that he isn’t the impactful starter he once was.
If the Jazz are moving forward with Mitchell at the center, they need to let him lead their guard-heavy lineups. New head coach Will Hardy needs to space the floor offensively around Mitchell and play a switching defense that will allow players to stay in front of their man.
Conley will need to take a back seat on this team if he stays, one where he possibly comes off the bench and takes on more of a leadership role. The Jazz need to be more athletic, faster, and more versatile defensively.
Conley and Bogdanovic are the next pieces that will need to be moved for that sake and if staying, Hardy has a lot of work ahead of him to manage this “retooled” roster.
Follow Andrew on Twitter @ArembaczNBA.
