Timberwolves' Mike Conley plans to play 20th NBA season as he becomes unrestricted free agent
Mike Conley says he plans to play a 20th NBA season. The question is whether he’ll do so with the Minnesota Timberwolves as he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
The Timberwolves’ season ended Friday with a Game 6 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals. However, Conley’s performance in that series is what convinced him that he can play at least one more year.
“I think I might’ve proved to myself I can play a little longer,” Conley told the Star-Tribune’s Chris Hine.
In the six-game series versus the Spurs, Conley averaged 5.7 points and 2.8 assists, while shooting 56% on 21 3-point attempts. During Minnesota’s 12 postseason games, the veteran point guard averaged 4.4 points and 2.7 assists with 50% shooting on 26 3-point attempts.
Conley, 38, played in 54 games this season (starting 15). He scored 4.5 points and dished out 2.9 assists, shooting 34% on 166 3-point attempts.
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The 2025-26 season included a brief trip around the league for Conley at the NBA trade deadline. Initially, the Wolves dealt him to the Chicago Bulls as part of a a three-team trade that sent Kevin Huerter and Dario Šarić to the Detroit Pistons. (That was also the deal in which Jaden Ivey went from Detroit to Chicago, before he was waived.)
Chicago then shipped Conley to the Charlotte Hornets with Coby White in exchange for Collin Sexton and three second-round picks.
But neither the Bulls nor Hornets intended to keep Conley and his $10.7 million salary after trading for him. Charlotte promptly waived Conley after the deal was made.
The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement prohibits teams from trading a player and then re-signing him if he’s waived. But Conley was allowed to return to Minnesota because he was traded a second time before he was released.
Overall, Conley has played 19 seasons in the NBA, 12 for the Memphis Grizzlies and four with the Utah Jazz. During his career, he has averaged 13.6 points and 5.5 assists with 39% shooting on 3-pointers.
