As the Minnesota Timberwolves are now in the offseason, many are expecting the team to perform a large makeover on their roster. While they have been 1 of the better teams over the last few years, they just haven’t been good enough to reach their first ever NBA finals.
One change that may not occur is the rostering of their veteran leader. Mike Conley was acquired via trade in February of 2023, and he has spent the last three full seasons with the Wolves. Turning 39 years old on October 11, Conley is scheduled to become a free agent. President of basketball operations, Tim Connelly, has made it seem as if, as long as Conley wants to return, Minnesota will have a spot open for him by saying,
“We’d love to. I mean Mike is exactly who we want to be. As a player, as a professional, as a human being…you’d love to get to Year 20, it will be up to him. We always want to have guys like Mike in that room.”
Conley’s comments from the day after the Wolves were eliminated make it seem like he will be playing another year. He said,
"I think I might’ve proved to myself I can keep playing a little longer.”
He also discussed that Minnesota has been home for his family and said, "Hopefully we get an opportunity to be where we want to be." Nothing is a guarantee until the player signs that next contract, but fans’ expectations should be that Conley is still with the club next season.
Mike Conley would enter territory few have reached
As Connelly mentioned in his comments, next season would be Conley’s 20th if he were to decide to play. That is a number that has been reached by 12 players in league history (Conley would be the 13th, and if Al Horford plays next year, he will be the 14th).
It wasn’t exactly a banner year for Conley in 2025-26, but he showed himself and the team enough in the series against the San Antonio Spurs that there’s still something left in the tank. He made 10 of his 18 3-point tries and dished out 17 assists compared to just two turnovers.
His minus-8 over the 6 games was the best plus/minus for any Minnesota player in the rotation as the Wolves were outscored as a team by a whopping 97 points in the Western Conference semifinals.
For the first time in his career, Conley wasn’t a regular starter. His 33.5 percent field goal shooting for the regular season was easily a career-worst. The 18.4 minutes per game he was on the court was 6.3 less than his previous lowest in a year, which came in 2024-25.
Still, the team values that veteran leadership he provides. Conley still rarely turns the ball over. Chris Finch clearly loves him as a person and a player. What Conley’s role next season will be depends on how the rest of the roster moves shake up, but it certainly feels as if he will be in a Timberwolves jersey on opening night in 2026-27.
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