Minnesota Timberwolves' president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly, has been the architect of a team that's made two conference finals appearances in the past three years. Connelly is entering the final year of his contract, though, adding to the uncertainty about his future with the team. For a team with no tradable first-round picks, having their lead executive on an expiring contract wouldn't be ideal.
Marc Stad taking over for Marc Lore as the Timberwolves' controlling owner added another wrinkle to Connelly's future. However, Stad's established connection with the Timberwolves bodes well for his future. And recently, Marc Stein (a lot of Marcs, right?) confirmed that the two have a strong relationship, which is a promising sign for Connelly's future.
"Timberwolves lead roster decision-maker Tim Connelly is said to have a strong relationship with Stad," Stein wrote. "This figures to be key given that Connelly — after Dallas ultimately conceded in the spring that it would not be granted permission to pursue Connelly for its front office vacancy as the Mavericks had initially hoped — is entering the final year of his current contract in 2026-27 and needs a new deal."
While it was already known that Stad shares a vision with Lore, hearing that this is the case specifically regarding Connelly is notable. The reality is that not every owner values a top executive, even if they're willing to spend big on the team. Furthermore, Lore led the charge of landing Connelly back in 2022 and paid him a pretty penny ($40 million over five years). These factors made it seem possible that an extension might not happen, leaving Connelly's future and the direction of the team up in the air.
Thankfully, though, Stein's reporting makes an extension for Connelly sound extremely likely, and that should be seen as great news for Timberwolves fans.
Tim Connelly likely staying around is great news
Waiting until this ownership shift was made official makes sense. These ownership discussions had been active for months. With this uncertainty, an extension wouldn't have made sense for either party earlier in the offseason.
Now, it seems likely that conversations will ramp up. It's also vital to note that Connelly has openly mentioned he's eager to stay in Minnesota.
"We're super locked in in Minnesota; we couldn't be more excited. We've had some opportunities elsewhere, but this is kind of home. We think this team is going to be special; the organization has been fantastic. I've been super lucky," Connelly said during an appearance on the Jon Krawczynski show.
Connelly is one of the most aggressive executives in the league. Just months into his Timberwolves tenure, he traded a haul of draft picks for Rudy Gobert. He traded up for Rob Dillingham two years ago. After making the conference finals, he traded Karl-Anthony Towns. And this summer, he traded for LaMelo Ball.
Look, not all of these moves worked out, with the Dillingham and Towns trades backfiring. Still, the Gobert trade has been a resounding success, and the Timberwolves wouldn't have made deep playoff runs without him. The jury is still out on the LaMelo trade, but he projects to be an ideal co-star alongside Anthony Edwards, and he can solve the Wolves' biggest problem: playmaking.
While it wasn't a blockbuster move, trading for Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in 2023 was an excellent move. Trading for Ayo Dosunmu rectified the mistakes of trading up for Dillingham and letting NAW leave. Margin moves like this for great role players are crucial to building a championship team.
Connelly has built a team that has achieved a considerable amount of success in recent years, and outside of Gobert, everyone is 26 and under, making them primed for long-term success.
Again, Connelly isn't batting 1.000, but his willingness to make bold moves has already paid off, and it's needed to maximize their title chances with Ant. Thus, an extension should be seen as a positive, and since Stad has a strong relationship with Connelly, a new deal feels inevitable.
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