Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly has proven to be one of the best executives in the league. Thus, it's not surprising that whenever teams have openings in their front office, they want Connelly to come over and run the show.
At the same time, since Connelly is under contract and given his excellence, why in the world would the Wolves ever permit opposing teams to interview Connelly? The Dallas Mavericks were eyeing Connelly, but ultimately, the Wolves refused to grant them permission to interview him, and they hired Masai Ujiri instead.Â
And now, according to Marc Stein, the Philadelphia 76ers are trying to poach Connelly, but again, it's unlikely that the Wolves will allow him to interview for the job.Â
"There have also been rumbles about potential Philadelphia interest in Tim Connelly for some time, but the 76ers would naturally face the same obstacles that Dallas did recently if it chose to act on that interest. Although Connelly has only one season left on his current Timberwolves contract, permission from Minnesota would still be required to speak with him as with Saleh and Atlanta. Ultimately conceding that Minnesota was not going to grant permission helped nudge the Mavericks exclusively in the direction of sealing a deal to hire former Raptors president and vice chairman Masai Ujiri," Stein wrote.Â
Based on this reporting, it seems clear that Minnesota will put its foot down and firmly say that the 76ers can't interview Connelly. After turning down the Mavericks' request and considering Connelly's importance to the Wolves, this is a no-brainer call for the Wolves.
The Timberwolves will need Tim Connelly to help reach their championship aspirations
Connelly has been the architect of the Timberwolves' recent success, and he's the perfect guy to help the team reach true championship contention.
This summer might be Connelly's biggest test yet, given the immense need to find Anthony Edwards a second option while being in a difficult spot financially. Still, he's often pulled off unexpectedly brilliant moves, most notably, the Rudy Gobert trade, and fans should be optimistic to see what he has in store this summer.
Owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore went to great lengths to land Connelly back in 2022, and they surely want to do whatever it takes to keep him in Minnesota. Unsurprisingly, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic noted that Wolves ownership wants to extend Connelly.Â
Even if you want to argue that Connelly's future is uncertain due to his contract situation, the Wolves clearly want to keep him, and they have no incentive to let him interview elsewhere. It might get lost in all of the other rumors, but a Connelly extension will be an under-the-radar storyline for fans to watch this summer.Â
Regardless, Wolves fans should be delighted that Connelly will remain in Minnesota for at least one more season despite other teams eyeing him across the league.
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