Timberwolves send D’Angelo Russell to the Los Angeles Lakers in three-team deal
Minneapolis-St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has acquired guards Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker from the Utah Jazz. The Wolves additionally acquired Utah’s 2025 and 2026 second round picks as well as a 2024 second round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in the deal. In connection with the trade, the Timberwolves have waived guard Bryn Forbes.
Conley, 35, has appeared in 1,001 regular season games (964 starts) in 15 NBA seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies and the Jazz, averaging 14.7 points on 43.8% shooting, including 38.1% from three, 5.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. The 6-1 guard has played in 43 games (42 starts) this season for Utah, averaging 10.7 points on 40.8% shooting and a career-high 7.7 assists per game, ranking seventh in the NBA. Conley is averaging 1.02 steals per game this season, on pace for his 13th season averaging one or more steals per game when playing at least half of his team's games. Only LeBron James (18), Chris Paul (18), Thaddeus Young (15), James Harden (14) and Russell Westbrook (14) have more such career seasons among active players.
Conley is one of only 10 active players to total more than 11,000 points, 4,500 assists, 2000 rebounds and 1,000 steals. He has seen action in 73 playoff games (all starts), including appearances in the last three NBA Playoffs averaging 16.0 points on 41.5% shooting, 3.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists.
The Fayetteville, Ark. native, a three-time NBA Sportsmanship Award winner (2014, 2016, 2019), was named to the 2012-13 All-NBA Defensive Second Team and earned an NBA All-Star nod in 2020-21. Conley was the 2019 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year, recognizing the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.
After playing one season at Ohio State University, Conley was originally drafted by the Grizzlies with the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Alexander-Walker has seen action in 194 regular season games (38 starts) in four NBA seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans and Jazz, averaging 8.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. The 6-6 guard appeared in 36 games (three starts) this season for Utah, averaging 6.3 points on 48.8% shooting, 1.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists. His best performance of the season came on Dec. 10 at Denver when he scored a season-high 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including 5-of-10 from deep. The Toronto native made his Canadian Senior National Team debut in the Olympic qualifiers in 2021 where in three games, he averaged 16.7 points on 45.0% shooting, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Alexander-Walker was originally drafted out of Virginia Tech by the Brooklyn Nets with the 17th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Acquired by the Timberwolves via a trade with the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 6, 2020, Russell appeared in 173 games (157 starts) for Minnesota over four seasons, averaging 18.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. He holds career averages of 17.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists in eight NBA seasons.
Signed as a free agent with the Wolves on July 11, 2023, Forbes played in 25 games for Minnesota where he averaged 3.6 points in 10.7 minutes of action per game. In 431 career games (167 starts) with the San Antonio Spurs, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets and Timberwolves, he holds averages of 8.8 points 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.