All season long, Minnesota Timberwolves fans have been begging for Chris Finch to reduce Mike Conley's minutes or cut him out of the rotation entirely. His offensive decline made him unplayable. Frankly, I didn't expect them to trade Conley given his importance as a veteran presence. However, Wolves fans got their wish, as Conley is heading to the Chicago Bulls as part of a three-team trade. In addition to parting ways with Conley, the Wolves sent out a 2026 first-round pick swap.
Just in: Chicago, Minnesota and Detroit have agreed to a multi-team deal that sends Jaden Ivey and Mike Conley Jr. to the Bulls and Kevin Huerter and Dario Saric to the Pistons, sources tell ESPN. Detroit also receives a 2026 first-round protected swap from Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/pgxqr1WT90
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 3, 2026
Minnesota isn't getting players back in this trade, but both the financial aspects and simply getting off of Conley make this deal worthwhile for the Wolves. Fans are now anxiously awaiting what comes next for the Wolves -- because this move was clearly done with a bigger trade in mind.
Trading Mike Conley sets the Wolves up for another move
The 38-year-old Conley has declined steeply offensively, averaging just 4.4 points on 32.2 percent shooting from the field. Yet he was still playing 18.5 minutes per game -- a number that far exceeds his production. It was simply time to move on from him.
Regardless, the bigger picture is that moving off of Conley's $10.7 million contract opens up significant financial flexibility. After this trade, the Wolves are now outside of the first-tax apron. Meaning that they don't have to match salaries in any future trades, this makes pulling off a big trade more feasible. Furthermore, the Wolves opened up an extra roster spot.
Whether it's for Giannis Antetokounmpo or another higher-salaried player, the Wolves' path to pulling off a big move has never been clearer. Only time will tell if the Wolves can pull off a true blockbuster, but it's clear that Tim Connelly has something up his sleeve, and the Wolves are in a much better position to make a big trade.