NBA Rumors: Mike Conley Jr. Seeks Contender If Traded; Jazz PG Linked to T-Wolves

Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley Jr. would like to be moved to a contending team if he's dealt before Thursday's 3 p.m. ET NBA trade deadline, per Tony Jones of The Athletic.

"According to sources, if he is moved, he would like to be moved to a contending team," Jones said. "If not, he wants to stay with the Jazz, as he and his family are happy and established in the community, and Conley is happy with his current basketball situation."

Jones and Shams Charania of The Athletic reported earlier Wednesday that the Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves are discussing a three-team deal whereas Russell Westbrook and draft compensation would head to the Jazz, Conley would go to the T-Wolves and D'Angelo Russell would end up with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Minnesota is ninth in the Western Conference with a 29-28 record, one game ahead of the 10th-place Jazz.

Conley, a 16-year NBA veteran, is averaging 10.7 points on 40.8 percent shooting and 7.7 assists per game for the surprising Jazz, who entered this year with low expectations after trading away All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

But the Jazz have excelled to the point where they sit in the final Western Conference play-in tournament spot. Conley, who has spent four seasons in Utah, has played a big role in that resurgence.

It's easy to see why he's garnering trade interest given his talent and experience. In addition, he has a contract that could be easy for teams to absorb.

Conley has one year left on his deal ($24,360,000), with $14,320,000 fully guaranteed and the remainder guaranteed if he's still under contract 48 hours after the 2023 NBA draft.

Minnesota should be a good fit for Conley if he lands there. He'd join a playoff-contending team and presumably slide into the starting point guard role to run an offense featuring Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns.

We'll soon find Conley's fate out with the deadline quickly looming, but for now, he remains a member of the surprising Jazz, who just so happen to be hosting the Timberwolves on Wednesday.