5 NBA players who could be traded before the end of December
By Ian Levy
4. The Jazz can get their NBA tank on by trading Malik Beasley and Mike Conley
What was supposed to be a tanking season for the Utah Jazz was thrown into chaos by a 12-7 start that had them in first place in the Western Conference as late as Nov. 21. But over the past nine days they’ve lost four in a row and dropped to eighth. What may have been a tough decision between trading veterans to lean into the tank or pushing for the playoffs becomes a bit clearer if the playoffs aren’t as much of a lock.
Younger players like Lauri Markkanen (25), Collin Sexton (24) and Jarred Vanderbilt (23) can probably be held as a bridge to whatever future iteration of this team is built with all their draft picks. But now might be the time to try and sell high on players like Malik Beasley (26) and Mike Conley (35).
Conley has declined a ton but still has plenty of value as a veteran ball-handler and floor spacer for a championship contender, although his $22 million salary for this season might be tricky to match in a trade. Beasley is a bit cheaper at $15 million but has more upside because of his age and is in the midst of a career year, averaging 14.0 points per game off the bench and hitting 40.3 percent of his 3s.