Should Cavs be interested in reported trade for Mike Conley?

Rumored Cavs trade for Mike Conley: Does it make sense for the Cavs?

Mike Conley is a 6’1″ point guard. Even at his age, he would instantly be one of the five best players on the Cavaliers, but he would also be a very difficult fit in the backcourt alongside Darius Garland, another 6’1″ point guard.

The Cavs are suddenly flush with point guards. Ricky Rubio has agreed to a three-year pact with the team, and they also signed a steady hand in Raul Neto to back up Garland until Rubio is healthy and serve as an overqualified third point guard after that. They don’t need more reinforcements at that position.

Cleveland could try to play Garland and Conley together in the backcourt, as the Jazz did with the similarly-sized Donovan Mitchell these past few years. That is a tough defensive combination to swallow, however, especially as Conley ages past his defensive prime. The Jazz were frequently pierced by driving perimeter players who beat Conley and Mitchell 1-on-1. If Conley isn’t adding star-level offensive production, the trade-off isn’t worth it.

That’s before factoring in the cost, both in salary and in trade demands. Conley makes $22.8 million this season, so adding a modest contract to Collin Sexton should make the money work. Is Conley better for the Cavs next season than Sexton? Probably, but as the years go on that proposition becomes weighted towards the much younger Sexton. Do the Jazz want another first in the deal? If so, the idea that the Cavs would be upgrading becomes even less likely.

The Cavs need forwards; they have a plethora of guards. Conley is a good player and a solid veteran, but he is’t going to lift this team’s ceiling enough to make him worth the trade. Could the Cavs still keep talking with the Jazz, though? Perhaps there is someone else on the roster worth asking about.