NBA Rumors: Could Timberwolves President Tim Connelly be 1-and-done?

When the Minnesota Timberwolves conducted an executive search for a new President of Basketball Operations one year ago, the consensus at that time was that Denver Nuggets President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly was the best in the NBA. And so, the Timberwolves executive search recruited Connelly so convincingly that he left the Nuggets empire that he had created and agreed to start over with the Minnesota Timberwolves NBA franchise.

The risk for anyone who aspires to claim the best-in-slot of anything in life is not just obtaining the best, but maintaining the best.  That bit of advice has been passed down for ages as cautionary advice to not buy the best home, not drive the best cars, not date the most attractive partners, and not agree to the most desirous positions at your employer. From the moment that you do, you have to begin watching your back to see who is trying to pick your pocket.

So it seems that when the Minnesota Timberwolves talent search for a new President of Basketball Operations identified long-time Denver Nuggets executive Tim Connelly to take over as the leader of the Minnesota Timberwolves pack, other teams sat up and took over. If the Timberwolves could hire Connelly away from a powerhouse team like the Denver Nuggets, a team that was built to Connelly’s specifications, perhaps they too could hire Connelly away from the Timberwolves, and create their own NBA headliner.

There are some Timberwolves fans who have been very unhappy with the results of Tim Connelly’s oversight in just his first season. Rather than trade for Gobert, they already have buyer’s remorse and want Connelly gone, Gobert gone, and some are even lobbying to get rid of Karl-Anthony Towns.

Be careful what you wish for, you just may get it

Well, if the latest NBA rumors are to be believed, then the Minnesota Timberwolves may have one helluva fight on their hands to retain Connelly as team president. Connelly’s name has already appeared on a short list to take over the top spot with the Washington Wizards. And if he is being considered for one opening, you can bet that he is being considered for other top executive roles in the NBA as well:

Without the contract signed by Connely and the Timberwolves, I have no way to interpret whether a one-and-done scenario is even addressed in the contract language. If it is addressed, the language is often structured so as to create significant financial penalties for failure to fulfill the duration of the contract. The reason is due to the possible scenario that the Minnesota Timberwolves face currently: That is a significant investment to a team in year one, but then abandoning the process after one year and forcing the Timberwolves to demolish those plans in order to adopt a new strategy.

Connelly reconstructs the entire team roster

The Timberwolves are caught between a rock and a hard place here. For all intents and purposes, this team has committed to Connelly, to Rudy Gobert, and to their current path to the NBA Championship, whether or not the plan bears fruit. If the team loses Tim Connelly to an executive search by another team, the Timberwolves not only lose a top NBA executive, but the team will likely pivot to a new plan to achieve an NBA Championship, which could be a costly endeavor.

Whether or not you approve of the job Tim Connelly has done for the Minnesota Timberwolves, it seems very premature to judge that tenure off one injury-decimated season. I like the little things that the team has done, from adding Kyle Anderson to trading for Mike Conley Jr. and Nickeil Alexander-Walker to signing Luka Garza to a two-way contract.

There are two ways to build an NBA Championship roster. One way is to swing for the fences by adding elite playmakers to lead the team. Another way is to chip away at the bottom of the roster, upgrading the talent, fit, and production. Connelly is one of the few executives who embrace both methods simultaneously.

Connelly may or may not work out for the Timberwolves. But the Minnesota Timberwolves bought a ticket on Tim Connelly Airlines to travel to the NBA Championship. Like any air travel, once the plane takes off, any attempt to deplane before the journey is complete is going to end in disaster.