NBA Rumors on Mike Conley Jr.'s Landing Spot in Free Agency After Being Traded Twice at Deadline

Veteran guard Mike Conley Jr. is reportedly expected to end up back where he started the 2025-26 season after a wild trade deadline.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Conley is planning to re-sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves after getting waived by the Charlotte Hornets.

On Tuesday, the T-Wolves sent Conley to the Chicago Bulls as part of a three-team trade that also included the Detroit Pistons. Then, on Wednesday, Conley and Coby White were traded from the Bulls to the Hornets for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng and three second-round picks.

Per ESPN's Bobby Marks, Conley is eligible to return to the Timberwolves because he was waived by the Hornets rather than the team that directly acquired him from Minnesota, which was the Bulls.

Conley, 38, has spent parts of the past four seasons with the Timberwolves after stints as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz.

A one-time All-Star and one-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection, Conley was once a highly productive player, averaging 15.3 points, 6.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 three-pointers made and 1.4 steals per game from 2011 to 2024.

However, Conley's role has lessened over the past couple of years in Minnesota, and his numbers have suffered as a result.

Last season, Conley started 64 of the 71 games he appeared in, but his 24.7 minutes per game were a career low to that point, as were his 8.2 points per contest.

This season, Conley has started just nine of the 44 games he has played, and he is averaging career lows across the board with 4.4 points, 2.9 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game.

When Minnesota traded Conley, it dropped the Timberwolves below the first salary cap apron and lowered the organization's luxury tax bill from $24 million to $3.8 million, per Marks (h/t ESPN's Jamal Collier).

The moves also improved the Timberwolves' chances of being able to accommodate Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in a potential trade after Charania reported that Minnesota was one of his main suitors.

However, the Bucks decided to keep Giannis through the deadline, meaning the T-Wolves are set to finish the season with largely the same team when factoring in Conley's impending return.

Minnesota has gone to back-to-back Western Conference Finals, and with a record of 32-20, it is currently sixth in the Western Conference.

Beating out the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets and others in the Western Conference won't be easy, but the T-Wolves do present Conley an opportunity to contend for a championship.