The Minnesota Timberwolves continue to make headlines in trade rumors leading up to the deadline next month. It is a well-known fact that they are looking to make a move in order to lock this team into the playoff field.
The most likely trade the Timberwolves will make before the deadline would involve offloading D’Angelo Russell. While the Miami Heat were initially interested in acquiring D-Lo, recent intel suggested that Minnesota had no interest in a deal with the Heat that would send them Kyle Lowry in return, which is what Miami was offering.
However, the Timberwolves are still looking for a new point guard, and one new name emerged as a potential target this week: Mike Conley. The Utah Jazz’s starting point guard is rumored to be on the trading block, and Minnesota is keeping an eye on the veteran floor general. Here are three reasons why Conley would be a great fit in a Timberwolves uniform.
1. Veteran leadership
Playing in his 16th year as a pro, Mike Conley is the definition of a seasoned veteran. Since 2007, he has seen everything there is to see in this league.
There are not as many vets in the NBA now as there once were. Conley is a true elder statesman that would be an uplifting presence to any locker room, and he could be a huge boost to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In a season where a topic of constant discussion has been Patrick Beverley’s absence in Minnesota and all that he brought to this team last year, Conley would bring the same experience and grit, albeit in a slightly toned-down manner.
If or when this team ends up in the playoffs, having a player like Conley that’s not only a grizzled veteran of the regular season but has also played in 73 career playoff games will become extremely valuable.
2. Experience on winning teams
As much as the Minnesota Timberwolves have improved in recent years since the arrival of Karl-Anthony Towns, there is no hiding it: they have not had much postseason success over the course of the franchise’s history.
This is not surprising considering Minnesota is in a small market and is a relatively new franchise compared to many of the older teams. But as their future continues to look brighter, the Timberwolves should be trying to bring in winning players like Mike Conley.
For the first 12 seasons of his career, Conley was a key part of the Memphis Grizzlies’ “grit-n-grind” era. The starting point guard for a tough and relentless group, Conley built a reputation as a reliable and consistent player early on in his career.
Helping lead Memphis to the playoffs six times in a seven-year stretch, Mike Conley was one of the driving forces behind a team that virtually no one wanted to see every postseason. When he ended up in Utah, the story was much the same.
In 2020-21, the same season Conley earned his first All-Star appearance, he helped lead the Jazz to the NBA’s best record and a playoff series victory against his former team in the Grizzlies. Conley’s track record of success speaks for itself, as he has made a living out of making every team he plays for better.
3. Better fit than D’Angelo Russell
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been looking to move off of D’Angelo Russell for some time now. Many fans would point to his disappointing performance in the playoffs last season as the key catalyst to this line of thinking.
But in reality, the Timberwolves’ desire to move on may be rooted more in the players around Russell than in D-Lo himself. Russell is obviously a decent point guard for any team on paper when you look at his numbers. But D’Angelo Russell’s trajectory with this franchise probably began to shift the moment they drafted Anthony Edwards.
With Ant as the Timberwolves’ top offensive option and bona fide franchise star, the need for a scoring point guard is significantly less. With a player like D’Angelo Russell taking as many shots as he does, you are always going to have less chances for your better option in the backcourt.
Putting a player like Mike Conley next to Anthony Edwards instead would have huge potential to maximize Edwards’ game. Not known as a score-first point guard, especially at this stage in his career, Conley would be able to focus much more on running the offense and finding Ant/KAT/Gobert in their spots than on creating offense on his own like Russell does.
As a true pass-first point guard that has contributed to numerous successful playoff teams in the past, putting Mike Conley at the helm of the Timberwolves’ ship could be an excellent option.