1:47pm: The Nuggets have officially announced the hiring of Connelly in a press release.
"We are extremely excited to have Tim join the Denver Nuggets organization," Kroenke said in a statement. "He comes from a great basketball background, possesses an incredibly strong work ethic and is a wonderful person. His passion and energy for the game of basketball are contagious and I am confident that he will be a great fit with us in Denver."
10:09am: The Nuggets have decided on their new head of basketball operations, agreeing to hire Tim Connelly to replace Masai Ujiri, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that Connelly's official title in Denver will be executive VP of basketball operations.
Connelly, who had previously been working as an assistant GM for the Pelicans, was named by Wojnarowski last month as a candidate for the Denver opening. Connelly was also linked to the GM job with the Timberwolves. He'll take the reins with a franchise that has lost its GM, its top assistant GM, and its head coach in the last several weeks.
Since the Nuggets' season ended with a first-round loss to Golden State, Ujiri has been hired as the Raptors' new head of basketball operations, Pete D'Alessandro has reached an agreement to become the Kings' general manager, and George Karl was let go by Denver when the two sides couldn't agree on an extension.
One of the first tasks facing Connelly this summer will be Andre Iguodala's free agency. Iguodala decided to exercise his early termination option and hit the open market, though he and the Nuggets have mutual interest in a new deal that keeps him in Denver.
Connelly also figures to assist team president Josh Kroenke in hiring a head coach to replace Karl. Lionel Hollins is scheduled to interview with the Nuggets on Wednesday, while Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reports that the club will meet with Brian Shaw on Tuesday.
Wtf!