Minnesota Timberwolves: 4 front office candidates for the Wolves

Michael Winger

One name that has been connected to the Timberwolves’ front office search is Michael Winger.

Minnesota reportedly received permission from the Los Angeles Clippers to interview Michael Winger, who has served as the Clippers’ general manager since the summer of 2017 and has played a crucial role in the team’s complete and swift makeover.

Pros

Michael Winger is a highly regarded candidate who has helped shape a Clippers franchise that seemed lost when he first came on board.

In 2017, Blake Griffin signed a new contract re-assert himself as the face of the franchise. Winger immediately organized a blockbuster trade that sent Griffin to Detroit and began building a team with a new identity. The newly-constructed roster has proven to be a great fit with coach Doc Rivers’ schemes and the team’s bench unit has quickly become the gold standard around the league.

Cons

While Winger’s time in L.A. has clearly been a success, Winger has not gained the experience of putting together a contender as the head man in charge of the operation.

Winger served as the assistant general manager for the Oklahoma City Thunder for seven years but left the team shortly after the departure of Kevin Durant. Again, his tenure in Oklahoma City is considered by many to be a success but he was only the assistant there and the team did infamously lose its star player to free agency.

Currently, Winger is working beneath executive president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank and quite possibly does not have as much authority as coach Doc Rivers, who used to also be the front office boss in L.A.

Minnesota must be certain that Michael Winger is ready for the responsibility of the president of basketball operations title before making him an offer.