Subscribe
Follow Us
The Minnesota Timberwolves have no time to lick their wounds following a heartbreaking playoff exit at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 Western Conference Finals. They have a few pressing matters to attend to, and on Tuesday night, they took care of the uncertainty surrounding the contract situation of president of basketball operations Tim Connelly.
Connelly, who could have opted out of his contract as president following the 2023-24 season, has reportedly agreed to a restructured contract with the Timberwolves, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. This restructured deal will keep him in Minnesota for the 2024-25 season, with his opt-out being moved to next year.
There was a legitimate chance that Tim Connelly would have opted out; as Jon Krawczynski, Timberwolves reporter for The Athletic, pointed out, Connelly could have decided to bolt given the team's dicey ownership situation.
As one would recall, Glen Taylor had agreed to sell the Timberwolves franchise back in 2021, but in a deal structured to be completed in three separate payments spanning three years. However, Taylor exercised a clause in his contract to prevent the deal from being finalized, and now, would-be owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are disputing Taylor's decision by calling upon the help of a mediator.
Nevertheless, Tim Connelly is here to stay, and the first order of business for him is to find whatever way he could to add the piece that would help the team get over the hump. However, the Timberwolves' financial situation will be difficult to navigate. Thus, having an experienced hand in Connelly to steer the ship is crucial, and the Timberwolves can now focus on roster matters instead of having to think about front office uncertainty.
Tim Connelly continues to succeed
From 2013 to 2022, Tim Connelly made a name for himself as an executive for the Denver Nuggets; Connelly was the general manager of the Nuggets for nearly a decade, and he was very successful in building a roster even though he had a few mishaps here and there. At the end of the day, Connelly built the Nuggets core that ended up winning the championship in 2023, as he's responsible for drafting Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., as well as trading for Aaron Gordon.
In May 2022, Connelly took on the challenge of reshaping the Timberwolves after they had emerged as a playoff team with a 46-win 2021-22 campaign. Connelly wasted no time putting his roster-building vision into practice. After just one and a half months as the Timberwolves' president of basketball operations, he dealt away a ton of assets for then three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.
Connelly initially drafted Gobert with the 27th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft, so perhaps he was simply making up for lost time. (Connelly played a hand in building the Utah Jazz as well; he traded them Gobert as well as Donovan Mitchell.) Gobert's first year as a member of the Timberwolves did not work according to plan. They won just 42 games and sneaked their way into the playoffs as the eight-seed.
As a result, many were calling the Timberwolves' trade for Rudy Gobert as one of the worst overpays in NBA history. But the Timberwolves quickly turned that narrative around. They won 56 games in the 2023-24 season and dethroned the Nuggets, defeating them in the second round of the playoffs in seven games.
Tim Connelly stuck to his roster-building vision, and it worked; thus, if he would have opted out of his contract, he would have been a hot commodity on the front office market. A team in dire need of direction, the Detroit Pistons, were even putting out feelers for his services. But the Timberwolves needed Connelly to stick around amid one of their most crucial offseasons.
Clock is ticking on the Timberwolves
One would think that the Timberwolves' window of contention will be wide open for at least the next half-decade given how young Anthony Edwards is. (He's only 22 years of age.) However, the Timberwolves' core is becoming very expensive, very fast.
The monster contracts of Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jaden McDaniels will be kicking in next season, while Rudy Gobert could choose to enter free agency at the conclusion of next season. The Timberwolves are already above the second luxury tax apron without making any moves, and they still have five roster spots to fill (two of which, one would assume, will be filled by their two draft picks in this year's draft).
Kyle Anderson, a rotation piece who played heavy minutes this past postseason run, is a free agent. So are Monte Morris and Jordan McLaughlin.
Simply put, the Timberwolves are wedded to their core. It's up to Tim Connelly and the rest of the Timberwolves' executives to find a way to improve around the edges, as that will be all they are allowed to do this offseason given how many restrictions are imposed upon them by being in the second luxury tax apron.
