It’s never ideal for a sports team to have its team president under contract for just one more season. That lame duck status could cause them to make win-now moves without giving much thought to how it can affect the club’s future.
That is what the Minnesota Timberwolves are currently dealing with, as Tim Connelly’s contract expires at the end of the 2026-27 season. It would behoove all parties if he is handed an extension soon, as the team is entering an important offseason.
Tim Connelly has been highly-sought after before by other teams
Last offseason, Connelly had an opportunity to make himself available to any team. Instead, the 50-year-old opted in to the final two years of his five-year, $40 million contract. He joined the club in May of 2022 after spending nearly a decade with the Denver Nuggets. Connelly wasn’t there for Denver’s 2023 championship, but it was won largely behind the core he helped build.
If the Timberwolves were to allow Connelly’s contract to expire, interest in him from other organizations would likely be widespread.
According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, there were at least four teams over the previous two summers prior to his opting in that wanted to see if he had interest in leaving Minnesota to join them. There almost certainly would be multiple teams knocking at his door if he became available.
Connelly is well-respected for his basketball knowledge around the league, and he has the Timberwolves in the midst of their best era as a franchise. One of his first moves with Minnesota was trading for Rudy Gobert, instilling a defensive identity for the club. Trading for Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker paid huge dividends.
It hasn’t been perfect. The Rob Dillingham trade will go down as a swing and a miss, although Connelly partially made up for it by inserting Dillingham into the Ayo Dosunmu deal.
Karl-Anthony Towns’ play in this year’s playoffs has many fans wondering what could have been if he remained, although it would have been difficult to build a team with much depth having his contract hanging over them.
It’s fairly evident, though, that the team has grown by leaps and bounds since Connelly joined. With arguably the most meaningful offseason in team history awaiting, the Timberwolves should ensure that Connelly doesn’t have to worry about his contract status and allow him to focus on improving the roster.
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