5 days ago
Confirmed: The Minnesota Timberwolves are Stuck with Tim Connelly
Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez lured Tim Connelly to the Minnesota Timberwolves, with hopes he could constructed the organization's first-ever championship team, just like he had built with the Denver Nuggets, who refused to pay him like the big time president of basketball operations that he was.
Nonetheless, with the ownership situation less than certain, Tim has found himself in somewhat of a limbo with the Wolves too. That uncertainty led to a one-year band-aid extension last offseason, which allowed Connelly to delay his long-term decision to this summer.
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But now that the Lore + A-Rod group is set to take over control at the end of this month, it appears Tim Connelly knows his future now as well, even if it is not yet official.
Tim Connelly sticking around as Minnesota Timberwolves PoBO
With the dust now settled from the Minnesota Timberwolves' Western Conference Finals defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, local reporters have been meeting with players, coaches and team officials.
On Monday, they met with Connelly, who made it clear when asked by Dane Moore about his future, that he is here to stay.
'Super happy here, it's been great. Not just as working with the team, but this whole community, so it really feels like home. Think you guys are stuck with me.'
Tim Connelly – Timberwolves president
Connelly joined the Minnesota Timberwolves prior to the 2022-23 season. Three years (seasons) later, the Wolves are 246-147 (.568 winning percentage) under his management. Across nine seasons in Denver, Connelly's Nuggets never won 56 games, like the Wolves did in 2023-24.
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This season's 49-win Timberwolves team was outdone In fact, the 2018-19 Nuggets — which won 54 games — were the only Connelly-run Denver team to win more than this year's 49-win Wolves. In other words, I think the move has worked out okay for Tim, too.
Related: Marc Lore, A-Rod Expected to Take Over Timberwolves Soon, New Arena Plans Coming…
Obviously Rodriguez and Lore are both fans of Connelly, having brought him to Minnesota. From the sounds of it, his decision to stay would not have been as cut and dry, had Glen Taylor remained in control of the organization. Instead, we'll likely see a long-term extension come in short order.
Roster decisions loom for Connelly's Timberwolves
Tim Connelly has swung a couple of the biggest trades in Minnesota Timberwolves history. He started during his first offseason at the control panel, when he traded away most of the Wolves' future draft picks for Rudy Gobert.
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Then last offseason, he outdid the Gobert blockbuster by trading Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks, mostly due to financial implications, with his massive super-max contract looming. Can we expect another blockbuster this offseason? Here's what Connelly had to say about that…
'The relatively new CBA we were, like all of the teams, kind of learning on the fly. Some of those deals that were on the books were done prior to the new ratification of the CBA. Last year was the first year we kind of tried to transact in that second apron and it was really challenging. You try to win, and also try to allow yourself to build sustainable winners. I think all of those things were done in unison. Fingers crossed, our ability to be a little bit more flexible financially could serve us well this offseason.'
Tim Connelly – Timberwolves president
The Minnesota Timberwolves have a few key players that need to make decisions for their future, this offseason. Naz Reid has a player option and he is in line for a payday. Julius Randle also has a player option of his own. Meanwhile, Nickeil Alexander-Walker is due for unrestricted free agency.
Related: Karl Anthony Towns' New Teammates Turn on Him After Playoff Exit
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