The Minnesota Timberwolves visit the budding rival Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night to continue their four-game road trip. Following a three-team trade that sent starting point guard D'Angelo Russell to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this week, former Utah Jazz floor general Mike Conley is poised to take over as Anthony Edwards' partner in the backcourt, also re-uniting with Rudy Gobert. Is Conley playing tonight against the Grizzlies, though?
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Mike Conley's status vs. Grizzlies
Conley, like the newly acquired Nickeil Alexander-Walker, also joining the Wolves from the Jazz, is currently listed as questionable on the injury report for Friday's game. Neither player is injured, though.
Instead, the official justification for the unknown status of Conley and Alexander-Walker is “trade pending,” likely meaning they simply need to pass physicals conducted by Minnesota's team doctors to be added to the active roster. Conley and Alexander-Walker flew with the team to Memphis on Thursday, according to Wolves radio announcer Alan Horton, sparking optimism they'll be able to take the floor against the Grizzlies.
Conley's status is of particular significance not only because he's Minnesota's new starting point guard and will occasionally be tasked with slowing down Ja Morant and Desmond Bane defensively. The 35-year-old also began his career in Memphis, where he remains a beloved figure for being part of the Grizzlies' mid-2010s “Grit ‘N Grind” nucleus alongside Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and Tony Allen. Conley was traded to Utah in the summer of 2019, after playing the first 12 years of his career in Memphis.
Is Conley playing versus the Grizzlies? That's still unclear, but for both the Timberwolves' sake of getting a win and Conley's own personal preferences, keep your fingers crossed he ultimately takes the floor.
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