Anthony Edwards is almost 14 years younger than Mike Conley. Teammates with the Minnesota Timberwolves since early February of 2023, Ant-Man took an affinity to the now 19-year veteran, even bestowing the nickname of Bite Bite upon him.
Once Conley was traded to the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, it certainly seemed as if his tenure with the Timberwolves was officially over. Except that may not be the case. Conley was traded again on Wednesday, this time to the Charlotte Hornets, a team that may buy him out. With that, it actually opened up the possibility of the 38-year-old returning to Minnesota, and that is something Edwards and many of his teammates hope to see.
Anthony Edwards on Mike Conley: “I keep hearing he can come back, so hopefully he will and I hope he see this. We want you back, Mike. He know we miss him.” pic.twitter.com/FsfvhFmyh3
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) February 5, 2026
The possibility of Conley returning already seemed likely, but with Ant's post-game open comments, it might be a certainty.
Conley returning to Minnesota is a possibility
The Timberwolves had a nice, come-from-behind win over the Raptors on Wednesday, which is their final game prior to Thursday’s trade deadline. The possibility remains that Minnesota has a different roster come Friday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans. It also remains possible that one of their teammate could return after a brief leave.
Conley is a beloved teammate, even in what has been a down 2025-26 season for the 2021 All-Star. It was somewhat surprising to see him dealt, even though the trade helped Minnesota go under the first apron, because Chris Finch continued to play him even when some of the fanbase didn’t believe he should be in the rotation anymore.
Now, normally, once a team trades a player, that player can’t return to the team that dealt him for a full year. Back in the 2016 offseason, the Golden State Warriors shipped Bogut to the Dallas Mavericks. About 7.5 months later, he was dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers. It was ruled that if Bogut was bought out by Philadelphia, he would be eligible to return to Golden State. The 2005 first overall pick was bought out, but signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers instead.
That not-often-seen rule has now come into effect with Conley, who is expected to be bought out by a Hornets team that already has a lot of backcourt players. If that happens, and he clears waivers (which would be expected), it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Conley returns to Minnesota.
One can argue whether the Timberwolves should bring him back, but if your franchise player wants him back, then it’s probably the right thing to do. Whether he remains in the rotation, as he has all year prior to being traded, will probably depend on whether Minnesota makes any bench-bolstering moves before the deadline passes.