Wolves Bring Back Mike Conley Weeks After Trading Him to Chicago

Conley returns to Minnesota after being traded twice in a matter of days leading up to the trade deadline.

Jan 20, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) bring the ball up the court against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Timberwolves are reportedly bringing back Mike Conley Jr., according to Michael Scotto.

Conley was traded twice in a matter of days leading up to the NBA trade deadline, first from Minnesota to Chicago, and from Chicago to the Charlotte Hornets. The second move led to his release, opening up the possibility of a Minnesota return for Conley.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported in the days after the deadline passed that Conley had planned on returning to Minnesota, with the sides working on the timing of his return. Minnesota needed to make the move official on Tuesday after spending the previous two weeks with just 13 rostered players. League rules require a minimum of 14 players, though teams are permitted to drop down to 13 players for up to two weeks.

Conley, 38, has primarily featured off the Wolves' bench this season, starting just nine of 44 games. The veteran is seen as a coach on the floor and has been praised for the mentality shift he helped usher into the Timberwolves' locker room over the past three seasons.

Before his trade, Conley was averaging 4.4 points and 2.9 assists in 18.5 minutes per game. Now with Ayo Dosunmu in the mix and fitting in well, Conley's minutes could be shortened even more. In just three games since his arrival, Dosunmu has averaged 28.0 minutes while scoring 14.7 points, adding 2.7 assists, and 1.7 steals.

The Timberwolves entered the All-Star break winning seven of their last 10 games. They are sixth in the West entering the last 29 games of the regular season, only a half-game behind the Rockets for fourth place, and 1.5 games behind the third-place Denver Nuggets.

They are back in action on Friday, hosting the Dallas Mavericks, with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

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