Official return! The Timberwolves have signed Conley through the end of the season, returning to Minnesota after two trades.

On February 18th Beijing time, point guard Mike Conley officially rejoined the Timberwolves. The move was documented in the NBA’s official transaction records, and HoopsHype journalist Michael Scotto verified that the contract extends until the end of the current season.

The Timberwolves traded Conley to the Bulls on February 4th with the goal of clearing salary cap room. Then, on February 6th, the day before the trade deadline, the Bulls packaged him along with Coby White and sent them to the Hornets. The Hornets subsequently waived Conley, allowing the 38-year-old veteran to return to Minnesota.

According to NBA rules, a player who is traded and then waived cannot immediately re-sign with the team that traded him away. However, since Conley was traded twice consecutively, this restriction applies only to the Bulls and does not affect the Timberwolves.

There were reports during Conley’s waiver period that he intended to return to the Timberwolves. The team waited until today to officially sign him in order to fully utilize the mandatory 14-day period, bringing the roster back to the NBA-required minimum of 14 players, thereby maximizing savings on the salary cap and luxury tax. Even after signing Conley, the Timberwolves' 15-player roster still has one open spot.

Conley is currently in his 19th NBA season. After being acquired by the Timberwolves at the 2023 trade deadline, he became the team’s starting point guard and held that role throughout last season. This fall, he ceded the starting position to DiVincenzo. So far this season, he has played in 44 games (starting 9), with his minutes per game dropping to a career-low 18.5. His averages of 4.4 points, 2.9 assists, and a 32.2% shooting percentage are also career lows.

Although Conley’s on-court performance has declined, reports before the trade deadline indicated that the team valued his leadership in the locker room and was reluctant to part with the veteran easily. For the Timberwolves, shedding his $10.8 million expiring contract while re-signing him for the minimum salary is a win-win situation.

It is now basically confirmed that Conley signed a minimum salary contract. His remaining salary for this season is $1,148,727, while the Timberwolves’ salary cap hit for him is only $725,834.

The Timberwolves acquired guard Dosunmu from the Bulls at the trade deadline, so Conley’s playing time may be reduced further in the final two months of the season.