Without question, the No. 1 priority for the Utah Jazz this offseason is re-signing point guard Mike Conley when free agency opens up next week.
On Friday morning, longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein reported that the Jazz “are preparing an offer” for Conley, with the terms of the deal being “estimated” in the 3-year, $75 million range.
This would be a considerably bigger deal than many have expected the 33-year-old Conley would get, even as he’s coming off a season which saw him be named an All-Star for the first time in his career.
Many have figured that Conley would fetch a two-year deal somewhere in the $40 million range ($20 million per season), so Stein’s reported deal would represent a bit more of a financial commitment, as well as more of a time commitment on the Jazz’s part.
In truth, Conley will have big leverage in contract talks, as the Jazz would not be able to sign anyone else close to Conley’s level since they will be over the salary cap and luxury tax lines (teams are allowed to go over to bring their own players back).
The deal would lock in a core of Conley, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell for the next three years as the Jazz try to make a run to a championship, as the trio would take up roughly $93 million together each season.