The NBA can be very political. From keeping certain players out of the league to adjusting minutes to keep a player’s value low, we’ve seen it across multiple teams over multiple years. Emmanuel Mudiay claims he was a victim of NBA salary politics in his 2019-20 season with the Jazz, as he saw his minutes restricted for a higher-paid player.
“Quin Snyder tells me, I’m averaging seven points in 15 minutes, that’s pretty decent. He calls me to his office and says, ‘E, I’m not gonna lie to you, you’re playing really well. You’re probably not gonna play for the majority of the rest of the season because I gotta play so and so.’ I was like, ‘What did I do?’. They said, ‘You did everything right.’ That person is making $20+ million, what am I supposed to do? He’s saying keep it professional and be ready when your name is called. I did everything right and you’re telling me that right wasn’t right. You get what I’m saying? Now it was like, ‘F that bro’.”
https://twitter.com/livelikelefty/status/1747674131061936464
Mudiay averaged 7.3 points on 46.9% shooting in 15.7 minutes a game that year. That is good production for a bench player, making him question why he wasn’t getting a bigger opportunity. Mudai was making $1.7 mil that year on a veteran minimum.
He hasn’t played in the NBA since 2022 when he was on the Minnesota Timberwolves. He’s currently playing for Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rico.
Was Emmanuel Mudiay Referring To Mike Conley?
Mudiay signed with the Jazz on the minimum at age 23, hoping that he could re-establish his value in the league coming off his rookie contract. But the Jazz had acquired Mike Conley in a trade in the 2019 offseason, with Conley coming off a highly-regarded tenure with the Grizzlies. Conley was supposed to be the point guard that elevated the Jazz into contention but he averaged 14.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in a down year.
They were teammates and Conley was making $30.4 million that season. It seems to be a pretty pointed indicator as to what player Mudiay was referring to in terms of a player playing ahead of him in the rotation. Conley enjoyed two more seasons with the Jazz, even being named an All-Star in 2020-21, before being traded to the Timberwolves last winter.
The only other possible option is Jordan Clarkson, but he was having a great season and averaged 15.2 points. He would go on to win Sixth Man of the Year for the Jazz in 2020-21.
The financial concerns that the Jazz had in mind when they made this decision can’t be pinned on Conley. He had a slow start to his tenure with the Jazz and couldn’t find the heights he achieved with the Grizzlies before that. Mudiay was a talented NBA player, but never found a home in the NBA.
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