It was all but official about two weeks ago at the NBA trade deadline.
Now, it’s official.
As reported by numerous sources, Mike Conley is returning to the Minnesota Timberwolves. For those of you curious about the timeline and why this signing is just happening now, here’s a general breakdown.
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February 3 @ 1:24 pm: Mike Conley traded to the Chicago Bulls as part of a salary dump for the Wolves to get under the first apron.
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February 4 @ 1:56 pm: Conley traded to the Charlotte Hornets as part of the Coby White transaction.
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February 5 @ 8:55 am: Wolves trade for Ayo Dosunmu.
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February 5 @ 2:15 pm: Conley waived by the Hornets.
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February 6 @ 10:15 am: Conley reported to re-sign with the Wolves after buyout.
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February 17 @ 11:52 am: Officially signed with the Wolves.
Why was there an 11-day delay in Conley coming back to rejoin his team? Essentially, it was a simple dollars and cents situation. The Wolves waited to re-sign him after the All-Star break because his prorated veteran minimum rate now affords Minnesota to sign another minimum player in addition to Conley. Had they signed him back on February 6th, the Wolves likely would have been capped at 14 players instead of the option of adding a 15th due to their cap situation.
Something like that.
On to basketball. Though the veteran has seen his play spiral downwards this season, but what he brings to Minnesota goes much beyond what happens on the hardwood. The former NBA All-Star (2021) and All-Defensive Team (2013) point guard has been a cliché “locker room presence” that has helped guide Minnesota to two straight Western Conference Finals. Players like Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert have openly talked about wanting the 38-year-old back.
It will be interesting to see how Wolves Head Coach Chris Finch handles his return. It’s no secret that Finch would trust Conley with his life. However, the addition of two-way dynamo Ayo Dosunmu, increased consistency from Bones Hyland, and the imminent return of Terrence Shannon will likely interfere with Finch’s desire to run Conley onto the court.
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Someone will have to sacrifice.
In this current season, Conley has averaged the seventh most minutes (18.5) on the team despite being 11th in Win Shares per 48 minutes. He’s suffering career lows across the board. Conley’s 32.1% mark from beyond the arc is his worst ever, despite a career-high in three-point rate. A once undeniably reliable float game is now unrecognizable, shooting a horrendous 32.6% from two-point range on a not nice 6.9% mark within three feet of the hoop.
In the meantime, almost everyone is happy to see Conley back in a Wolves uniform despite his flaws on the court. Let’s turn those tears of sadness into tears of happiness. As Ricky Rubio once said, “Change this face, be happy!”