Timberwolves' Mike Conley says he won't retire, plans to play NBA 20th season

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But who knows what that looks like.” No one could blame Conley if he wanted to hang it up after a wild season. He was abruptly moved from the starting lineup to the bench on the eve of the regular-season opener, with coach Chris Finch wanting to put the ball in Anthony Edwards’ hands and give the younger Donte DiVincenzo an opportunity to start. Conley was taken out of the rotation entirely for a short time so Rob Dillingham could get consistent minutes at backup point guard. He was traded to Chicago just before the deadline, but then was able to return to Minnesota when the Bulls traded him a second time to the Charlotte Hornets, who bought him out. “It just was a lot to soak up and try to figure my way through it, because you just didn’t know when opportunity would be there or when you’d get a chance,” Conley said. “Just tried to stay ready through it all.” It physically pained Finch to do it that way. During the middle of the season, he called it “a crime against humanity” to not play him on a consistent basis. On Saturday, one day after the Timberwolves were eliminated from the second round of the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs, Finch lamented the way he handled Conley’s initial move to the bench at the start of the season. “It was also an effort to try to preserve Mike, but it hurt Mike’s ability to try to find any kind of consistency throughout the season,” Finch said. Conley played in just 54 games, averaging a career-low 18.4 minutes. The inconsistent role wreaked havoc with his shot. He shot just 33.5 percent during the regular season. But Finch started to play him more consistently down the stretch, and he came around in the playoffs. Conley shot 50 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3 in Minnesota’s 12 playoff games, enough improvement to convince him that he could come back for another season. Conley will be a free agent this summer. His reputation as one of the great teammates of the league, his veteran experience and his performance in the playoffs could make him desirable to any number of teams out there. At this age, he is no longer a starter, but teams both rebuilding and contending value having a voice like his on the bench. The Timberwolves have interest in him returning next season. Joe Ingles is departing, and president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and Finch have always valued having a veteran with a strong voice on the bench to help the younger players. If he remains in Minnesota, Conley can bet that Finch will give him a chance to play as well. “There’s always a role for Mike Conley,” Finch said after Conley hit four 3s in a Game 1 win over the Spurs. “The guy’s an amazing basketball player. He’s an unbelievable winner. He competes no matter what the matchup is out there.” Conley’s family has settled in Minnesota nicely since he came over from Utah in a trade in 2023. He said a return to the Timberwolves is very much in play. “This has been home for us, this has been a great place for us to be,” Conley said. “Love the guys, love the organization, Tim, coach, everybody. Hopefully, we get an opportunity to be where we want to be at the end of this.” Conley has not won a championship and said that pursuit could factor into his landing spot as well. The Wolves were wiped out by the Spurs in the second round, losing Game 6 by 30 points on Friday night. There appears to be a sizable gap between them and the duo of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Spurs when it comes to Western Conference supremacy. “I still want to have that opportunity, whether I’m playing (regularly) or not,” Conley said. “Just being around the environment, being around that kind of culture is what I’ve always strived to be around, and we’ve had opportunities here. “Who knows how long the windows are? So, you’ve got to try to find that right opportunity for you, whether that’s here or somewhere else, because still that’s the one thing that I’m trying to reach.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms