Tim Connelly has helped the Minnesota Timberwolves blossom from a frisky playoff team to a legitimate title threat since becoming the team's lead executive in 2022. Before that, though, he was with the Wolves' biggest rival, the Denver Nuggets.
He helped build a title-winning team there through excellent drafting (Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr.) and some big trades, including Aaron Gordon. Now, the Nuggets did technically win the championship right after Connelly left, but there's no denying that he was the man who set them up for success.
And without Connelly, the Nuggets' front office has gone from elite to questionable. They fired his replacement, Calvin Booth, in 2025, and the Ben Tenzer era is off to a rough start.
While the Nuggets are surely missing Connelly, this is the best outcome for the Wolves. Connelly is helping Minnesota level up, and his departure ensured that Denver isn't a long-term threat.
The Nuggets haven't been able to replicate their playoff success since their 2023 title run. In fairness, they were a game away from returning to the conference finals in 2024 and 2025, but this past season the Timberwolves sent them home in the first-round.
The Nuggets are missing Tim Connelly
With other teams in the West, including the Wolves, improving, the Nuggets might get left behind. They are still a solid regular season team, but their roster isn't built for playoff success due to some key roster flaws (mainly defense). The Nuggets' front office is in denial about this, and it ruins their chances of winning another title.
Connelly would never do this. If his team has a problem, best believe he'd address it. Just look at what he did this summer by trading for LaMelo Ball when it was clear that the Wolves needed a lead guard and a true second option. He did so with limited trade assets. That's a skill.
In fairness, not all of the Nuggets' struggles can be traced back to organizational mistakes. Losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope can be traced back to the second apron, for instance.
This offseason, though? It's been pure malpractice. In the playoffs, the Timberwolves exposed Denver's lack of defense at all levels, as Jaden McDaniels famously called out the whole team as bad defenders. Furthermore, during the regular season, Denver ranked 21st in defensive rating.
Simply put, this isn't a championship recipe with balanced teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and yes, the Timberwolves.
In any event, the Nuggets let their best defender, Peyton Watson, walk in free agency and replaced him with DeMar DeRozan. That will make their defense even worse. They still sit above the second apron, something that's bound to change at some point.
It wouldn't have been easy, but I assure you Connelly would've found a way to avoid this. He could've retained Watson by moving off one of their biggest contracts. Cameron Johnson, Christian Braun, and Aaron Gordon are all candidates to be moved. What I really think Connelly would've done, though, is trade Murray.
He'd realize that the defensive deficiencies aren't enough to make up for the offensive brilliance and that his contract is hampering the team. Instead, he'd find a cheaper yet still viable co-star for Jokic. Trader Tim isn't afraid to make big swings, to re-shuffle the deck, and that's what I think he would've done if he were still in Denver.
Maybe he would've approached it differently. Maybe he would've changed up the core earlier. One thing is for sure, though: the Nuggets would be in a better spot with Connelly in charge.
Connelly has helped the Timberwolves become sustainable contenders
From a Timberwolves' perspective, the scenario couldn't be more ideal, though. Connelly has made the Timberwolves sustainable contenders. Of course, having Anthony Edwards helps a lot, but he's done everything to maximize Ant's career. Firstly, the Rudy Gobert trade gave Edwards some experience playing meaningful basketball from a young age.
And while the Karl-Anthony Towns trade backfired to some extent, Connelly recovered wonderfully by trading for LaMelo this summer. He was also able to sign Jonathan Kuminga and traded for Ayo Dosunmu at the deadline.
The Timberwolves might not have many picks, but they have a team that complements their superstar and is built for long-term success, with most players being 26 or younger. They have a legitimate puncher's chance against the league's best teams. Credit Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore for pushing to get Connelly with a lucrative five-year, $40 million contract.
As we established, Denver has a flawed roster, and the team is slowly crumbling without Connelly. Thus, the Timberwolves have one less team to worry about in the West and a clear upper hand over their rivals. In the end, all roads lead back to Connelly.
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