Mike Conley is a popular guy in the Minnesota Timberwolves locker room and this is why it is puzzling that his teammates, the likes of Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, and Rudy Gobert, has not said anything about his departure.
The 19-year veteran is part of a three-team trade that sent him to the Chicago Bulls alongside Jaden Ivey from Detroit Pistons. Timberwolves got nothing but they were able to dump his salary. Pistons received Kevin Huerter and Dario Saric.
Conley was then re-routed to the Charlotte Hornets and he is not expected to play a game with them.
Conley, 38, saw his role with the Wolves reduced this season as Chris Finch decided to use him off the bench. He’s played 44 games for them but his minutes went down from 24.7 to 18.5. His 3-point shooting percentage also went down from 41% last season to 32.1.
Timberwolves deciding to move him is meant to clear his $10.7 million salary.
Mike Conley really gave 3 NBA franchises their highest highs this century and I think that’s an awesome legacy. Won’t forget what Mike did for Rudy career 💙 pic.twitter.com/7xaaTWXF98
— Stifle-Tower27 (@Stifle_Tower27) February 3, 2026
Mike Conley might find himself back with Wolves
There might be a good reason why the beloved veteran is not getting any tributes from his teammates. Several reporters revealed that Wolves might use the Andrew Bogut rule to get him back.
“Now that Mike Conley has again been traded, he is now eligible to be signed by the Timberwolves if he is bought out of his current contract,” Wolves reporter Dane Moore wrote on X.
Now that Mike Conley has again been traded, he is now eligible to be signed by the Timberwolves if he is bought out of his current contract.
And that is in fact being considered, I’m told. https://t.co/g4rupUa70P
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) February 4, 2026
The Andrew Bogut rule was born in 2017 when the Golden State Warriors still found a way to get the Australian big man back after they traded him to Dallas which subsequently sent him to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The loophole here is that a team must wait a year to re-sign a player they just traded but because Warriors were no longer the last team that Bogut was part of, Warriors were allowed to re-sign him.
The same thing is expected to happen to Conley.
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