Mike Conley Seeks To Play At Least Two More Seasons

Timberwolves guard Mike Conley hopes to play at least two more seasons, according to Andscape’s Marc J. Spears.

Conley, 37, is aiming to play 20 NBA seasons. He’ll make $10.7MM next season in the final year of his contract.

Conley says he’s having too much fun to hang it up after this season.

“I’m having a ball, bro, honestly,” Conley said. “I tell the guys all the time, ‘If you see a day where I’m not smiling and not having a good time and loving being here, tell me to retire. Tell me to go home.’ That is one reason why I’m here. Being around these guys, the atmosphere, the game. The competitive atmosphere every day. You don’t get this anywhere else in life, especially at my age getting older. You really can’t take it for granted.”

Conley appeared in 71 games this season but he was playing through some pain. He’s been nagged by a left wrist injury since last offseason.

He averaged 8.2 points and 4.5 assists while playing a career-low 24.7 minutes per game. He averaged 8 points and 5 assists in 24.6 minutes in the conference semifinals against Golden State.

“One of the toughest injuries for me has been the wrist,” Conley said. “I had to be in a cast for like two months last summer. And during that time, I couldn’t shoot a ball, touch a ball. Nothing. That is not like me. Normally in the summertime I’m working and doing everything I can. So going into training camp, I had no strength [in my wrist]. It was weak, [there was] still pain and I was trying to work through some things. I was hesitant to do stuff and be myself. It’s been a battle all [season]. It’s something I’ve slowly gotten over with. Hopefully, it will be even better next season.”

Conley’s teams have made it to the conference finals twice in his career, including last season, but he’s still seeking his first NBA Finals appearance.

“I was shocked, really, because I thought it was a special year,” Conley said about losing in the Western Conference Finals last year. “I thought it was going to all make sense and we all were going to make it finally. My first thought was, ‘How long will it take for us to get back here again? Will it be next year. Will it be another year? I don’t know. Will it be the last chance I get?’ All those thoughts popped in. But it got me going in the summertime hoping that we could do it again this season and have a chance.”