Minnesota Timberwolves target Tim Connelly is a draft whisperer

The Minnesota Timberwolves made great strides via the NBA Draft, particularly after winning the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft thanks to the luck of the NBA Lottery. Now, the team appears eager to hedge the bets and go all-in on ensuring that they have one of the best draft whisperers in the NBA. Tim Connelly has certainly piled up a book of business that proves just how effective he is at selecting some of the NBA’s top talent.

The NBA Draft is a fickle sort. Unless you are consistently picking first, you are trying to sort through serious NBA talent, good but not great role players, or wannabes. Even if you do draft the top pick, there is no guarantee of anything.  So when an NBA executive showcases the ability to find talent in the draft in both Day 1 and Day 2 selections? They are keepers.

That could be why the Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly rumored to have narrowed their executive search to focus on Denver Nuggets executive Tim Connelly.

Now the question is: Can the Minnesota Timberwolves persuade him to leave his Rocky Mountain High perch of President of Basketball Operations for the Denver Nuggets to become… President of Basketball Operations for the Timberwolves?

Well, that will depend upon how deep the Timberwolves’ pockets are for this hire. If the ownership was serious in their pursuit of a top-tier executive, then they are already fully aware of what that will take in terms of compensation.

Right now, NBA Rumors linking Connelly to the Timberwolves have set the annual compensation at the $10 million / year mark. That’s a pretty lofty number in the NBA right now, but it will be necessary to pull anyone to the Timberwolves’ position. Is Connelly worth it? Well, time will tell. But if he continues his track record of NBA Draft success, he’s a bargain even at that price.