The speculation regarding Tim Connelly’s future has been pushed back for at least one season.
According to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania (Twitter links), Connelly has agreed to a restructured contract with the Timberwolves that will keep him in charge of Minnesota’s front office for at least one more season.
Connelly had an opt-out clause in his contract that could have made a highly desirable “free agent” among NBA executives. Connelly helped build the Nuggets into a championship club and constructed a Timberwolves roster that made them a Western Conference finalist.
He’ll now be able to opt out after next season.
There has been heavy speculation that Connelly might exercise the opt-out due to the franchise’s ongoing ownership dispute. Current majority owner Glen Taylor is at odds with prospective owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez over financial issues. A three-person arbitration panel has been selected to oversee the ownership dispute, but there are no signs of a quick resolution.
Connelly, the Timberwolves’ president of basketball operations, recented indicated that the ownership dispute wouldn’t be a deal-breaker for his future with the organization.
“I’ve had a blast here. Feels like we have roots here. It’s pretty special. That’s the goal. It has been a great couple years, and hopefully, we can make it a much longer couple years,” he said.
By restructuring his contract, Connelly can now focus on trying to tweak the Timberwolves’ roster and get them into next year’s Finals. If things go sour, he’ll have the option of moving on to another organization.
Connelly was on the Pistons’ radar for their president of basketball operations job before they decided to hire Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon.
Even with the ownership issues, Connelly’s preference was to stay in Minnesota. He and his family have settled into the area.
He could sign another long-term deal after the ownership situation settles, Krawczynski reports.