Amidst the ongoing owner drama within the Minnesota Timberwolves organization, NBA insider Shams Charania (FanDuel TV) revealed today that president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly, doesn’t have to stick around this dysfunctional franchise, if he chooses not to deal with the ownership battle that is currently taking place.
On May 23rd, 2022, the Timberwolves appointed Tim Connelly as their president of basketball operations, a deal we now know was worth five years, $40 million. That same summer, he orchestrated the trade for Rudy Gobert, along with a plethora of other deals and acquisitions he’s completed since (Kyle Anderson, Mike Conley Jr, Monte Morris, etc), most of which have undeniably proven to be outstanding moves.
Tim Connelly has an out in his Minnesota Timberwolves PoBO contract
But that doesn’t mean all is necessarily going well on the home front. Yes, there are three more years remaining on Tim’s contract… but that doesn’t necessarily mean he has to finish said contract.
Shams Charania (FanDuel TV), late Thursday morning, reported an out in Tim’s contract with the Timberwolves. An out that would allow him to break the agreement and become a highly coveted free agent after this season, should he decide, for any reason, that he no longer wants to run the Wolves’ front office.
“I’m told Tim Connelly has an out in his contract after the season, so after year two. It was supposed to line up with his ownership with Mark Lore taking this team over, but now with what we’re seeing playing out between these two sides.”
Sham Charania – FanDuel TV
This doesn’t mean Connelly is already making plans to hit the open market, when the Wolves season eventually ends, but he does have a plausible way of making that happen, if he so desires. As Shams notes, it could even mean an extension, too. In other words, all options are on the table.
“Mark Lore, Alex Rodriguez identified him, they targeted him. It was their vision to bring in Tim Connelly to Minnesota in 2022, and they committed an unforeseen price in Minnesota in that marketplace: five years, $40 million to bring in one of the best executives in the NBA. Ultimately, they signed off on that, but it was really Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore’s vision, ambition, and drive to bring an executive of that caliber to Minnesota and give him the free rein to go and transform his culture that we’re seeing now.”
Sham Charania – FanDuel TV
What Will Tim Connelly Do?
The key factor, according to Shams, will be Connelly’s willingness to navigate the owner drama. Would he be willing to leave behind a roster packed full of talent that he’s carefully built? That would be tough but, if he were to hit the open market, massive offers would be plentiful.
“I reported on it, the fact that Glen Taylor believes that they violated Mark Lore, that they have all the necessary documentations funding to have ownership of this team. There’s no sign of this ending here anytime soon, but this is someone the Wolves can’t afford to lose. The whole NBA is aware that he could be a free agent and leave the Wolves in theory, but they could also rip his deal up and give him a new extension this offseason.”
Sham Charania – FanDuel TV
I’m certain that Tim Connelly has already thought about whether or not he wants to be the Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations, even if the tandem that brought him there, Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, are no longer in the majority ownership picture.
Today, though, I’d imagine he is much more focused on where the Minnesota Timberwolves will land in the Western Conference playoff picture, and then, how far they can push one of the greatest seasons in franchise history.
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