Timberwolves' ownership shift could lead to an exciting Tim Connelly decision

The big news in Minnesota Timberwolves land today is that Marc Lore will be selling his controlling interest in the Timberwolves and Lynx to Marc Stad for $4.5 billion. Honestly, this is not as big of a story as it might sound, since Stad was already part of the Wolves' ownership group. Reporting from Jon Krawczynski makes it clear that Stad is carrying over the aggressive vision of Lore and Alex Rodriguez (who remains co-owner).

Regardless, the news does make me wonder about Timberwolves lead executive Tim Connelly, whose contract expires after this season.

With how much success the Timberwolves have seen in their four seasons under Connelly, keeping him around would make sense. The Stein Line indicated that an extension with Connelly is one of the top priorities after this shift. 

Considering that this shift has been discussed for months, it's entirely possible the Wolves were waiting for this deal before hammering out the details of a new extension with Connelly. 

It would make sense for the Timberwolves to extend Tim Connelly

Connelly also recently spoke about how much he likes Minnesota, so there should be mutual interest in a new deal. 

"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.

Until an extension is in place, Connelly's future remains a question mark. Still, with Stad reportedly being aligned with Lore's vision, keeping Connelly seems logical, and The Stein Line's comments indicate that this will be a priority. 

Lore played a key role in signing Connelly in 2022, and his five-year $40 million contract made him one of the highest-paid executives in the league. Given Lore's closeness to Connelly, it's natural to wonder if this shift has any implications regarding his future. Plus, it's worth noting that Connelly will likely be expensive to extend due to his success and the interest he's garnered across the league.

But again, Stad has been part of this ownership group, and thus, he likely values Connelly too. 

Personally, I really value Connelly's aggressive mindset. Yes, he's had his misses (Rob Dillingham), but Connelly has played a vital role in making the Timberwolves a title contender. The Rudy Gobert trade was an undeniable success. Trading for Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker was a masterstroke. Both of these moves helped the Timberwolves make two straight conference finals runs. 

While we need to see it on the court, I have high hopes about the LaMelo Ball trade, as he projects to be an ideal fit alongside Anthony Edwards. Furthermore, pulling off a move for someone of Ball's caliber with such limited draft assets is incredibly impressive. 

With a superstar like Edwards, you need to make big swings like this. Connelly's vision has already helped the Timberwolves ascend to a conference-finals level, and now it could help them reach their championship aspirations. 

Hopefully, this ownership shift speeds up the process of extension talks with Connelly since he is a vital part of the organization's success and vision. The alternative where he enters the year without a new deal wouldn't be ideal. 

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