Mike Conley Lived in Minnesota Hotel for Months After Trade From Jazz
This past season’s trade deadline was an eventful one for the Utah Jazz. After a year consistent with overachieving initial expectations, Danny Ainge and the Jazz front office found themselves in a prime position in February to sell high on some of their assets to improve their draft outlook.
In what would result in a hectic three-team deal between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers, the Jazz dealt away G Mike Conley, F Jarred Vanderbilt, and G Nickiel Alexander-Walker in what would ultimately net them a 2027 protected first-rounder from LA in return.
However, the deal seemingly did not to come without its hiccups behind-the-scenes. The late-season timing of the trade led to Mike Conley having some trouble initially setting his footing in his new home with the Timberwolves. According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Conley had to stay in a hotel in Minnesota for months after his trade deadline deal.
"Conley came over in a trade from Utah in February and had little time to acclimate before plunging into a break-neck push for the playoffs. He lived out of a hotel for much of the season while his wife and children remained back in Utah. Once the season ended with the playoff loss to Denver, the Conleys were able to catch their breath, reunite and start to shift their lives to Minnesota. The timing was good in a way, giving the Conleys an opportunity to see a version of Minnesota that wasn’t frigid."
This timeline pins Conley in at close to three months of living in a hotel without any family, showing a little bit of a resemblance to the NBA bubble Conley endured during his time with the Jazz in 2020. Thanks to the first-round exit the Timberwolves suffered early in the playoffs, his hotel tenure would end not much longer after the end of the regular season.
Conley looks to be in better spirits now, as he has gotten the chance to finally settle into Minnesota with his family during his downtime this offseason:
“Definitely much more comfortable. Every trip we’ve taken back to Minnesota this summer, we’ve brought our whole family so the kids can get acclimated to the community and meet friends, and things like that, so it’s been a lot easier for us.”
- Mike Conley, via The Athletic
During his short 24 games with the Timberwolves last regular season, he averaged 14 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5 assists. Eyeing what will be his age-36 season in 2023, Conley will look to be a valuable veteran floor general aspiring to take Minnesota to steeper heights than they saw this past season.
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