Mike Conley reveals his NBA future amid retirement buzz

It was fair to wonder if Mike Conley would call it quits after his 19th season. At 38 years old, it would be reasonable. However, when speaking to the media on Saturday, a day after the Minnesota Timberwolves' season ended, Conley said that he's not ready to retire just yet. 

"I think I might’ve proved to myself I can keep playing a little longer," Conley said when asked about his NBA future.

Beyond the obvious age speculation, there were some rumblings of Conley retiring, including his former teammate Austin Rivers mentioning that he is considering walking away after this season. Still, it's worth noting that Conley has previously discussed playing 20 seasons and that now seems guaranteed.

Based on Conley's quote, it also seems like his strong close to the season and playoffs might have swayed him to play at least another season.  

Mike Conley returning to the Timberwolves makes sense

Conley is a free agent, so it's still not 100 percent guaranteed that he returns to the Wolves. Nevertheless, Conley said in his exit interview that he hopes to return to Minnesota, and given how important he has been to the franchise since arriving in 2023, the interest would likely be mutual. 

Just hours before the season, Conley lost his starting spot to Donte DiVincenzo. Conley struggled to provide a ton of on-court value for most of the season, with his self-creation and defense taking another step back. After being traded and re-acquired at the deadline, Conley fell out of the Wolves' rotation. At this point, it seemed like Conley's days in the NBA were numbered. Based on his quote, it feels like Conley himself thought so too. 

Regardless, after some late-season injuries, Conley found himself back in the Wolves' rotation. In the playoffs, Conley did a nice job of playing quality minutes following DiVincenzo's devastating Achilles injury. Conley's overall averages of 14 minutes, 4.4 points, and 2.7 assists don't jump off the page, but he proved to be a steady pair of hands and found his outside shot, netting 50 percent of his triples.

At this point, Conley isn't an integral rotational player, but he can play solid spot minutes if need be. The Wolves will likely add another ball handler (hopefully a high-end one) this offseason, which will cut into Conley's minutes. However, if Conley is called upon, best believe he'll stay ready. Plus, his importance as a veteran leader can't be understated. 

With Conley officially declaring that he wants to play at least another year, I fully expect him to be back in Minnesota. Even if Conley's on-court impact isn't what it used to be, his presence (in the right role) is only additive. 

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