Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Tim Connelly Named Timberwolves’ President Of Basketball Operations

May 23rd, 2022 at 6:06pm CST by Luke Adams

6:06pm: The Timberwolves have officially named Connelly their president of basketball operations, according to a team press release.

“We are thrilled to announce Tim Connelly as the next leader of our basketball operations department and welcome his family to the Twin Cities,” the team said in a statement attributed to ownership. “He brings a wealth of NBA front office experience with various franchises. We look forward to building upon our most recent playoff run and bringing more success to Timberwolves fans for years to come.”

“My family and I couldn’t be more excited to join the Timberwolves organization,” Connelly said in a statement. “I appreciate Glen, Becky, Marc and Alex’s confidence in me to lead this organization and I can’t wait to get to work to build an elite franchise that our fans can continue to be proud of.”

2:28pm: Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly will be leaving Denver for Minnesota, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that Connelly and the Timberwolves have agreed to a deal that will make him one of the NBA’s highest-paid executives.

Connelly’s new contract as the Wolves’ president of basketball operations will cover five years and will be worth $40MM, per Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The agreement will also include a kicker for ownership equity, The Athletic’s duo adds.

After Timberwolves minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez initiated talks with Connelly and presented him with a preliminary offer, the longtime Nuggets executive flew to Minnesota on Saturday and had a four-hour meeting with majority owner Glen Taylor, according to The Athletic (Twitter link). Taylor signed off on the offer, and Connelly subsequently took two full days to deliberate before accepting the job on Monday.

Connelly had been the head of basketball operations in Denver since 2013, following Masai Ujiri‘s departure for Toronto. He reportedly had a significant impact on the Nuggets’ culture, empowering coaches, staffers, and players while creating a positive work environment.

His loyalty to Denver and his comfort level with Nuggets ownership made it a difficult decision to leave for Minnesota, according to Charania and Krawczynski, who say Connelly’s new contract more than doubles his previous salary — the equity component also makes the deal substantially more lucrative.

Mike Singer of The Denver Post confirms that financial compensation was a significant factor in Connelly’s decision to leave Denver and join a division rival, since he hadn’t been eager to depart. According to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), the Nuggets made a bid to retain Connelly that would’ve significantly increased his salary, but Woj describes the ownership equity in Minnesota as “life-changing money” for the veteran executive.

The Wolves, who dismissed Gersson Rosas shortly before the 2021/22 season began, had been in the market for a big-name executive to fill the president of basketball operations role on a permanent basis. With Lore and Rodriguez expected to take over majority control of the franchise in 2023, they wanted to “change the narrative” around a team that has often been overlooked nationally, according to Charania and Krawczynski.

Executive VP of basketball operations Sachin Gupta, who ran the Timberwolves’ front office on an interim basis following Rosas’ ouster, remains part of the long-term vision in Minnesota, sources tell The Athletic. While Connelly will likely make some hires of his own, it sounds as if there are no plans to move on from Gupta or head coach Chris Finch, who was previously an assistant coach in Denver.

The Nuggets, meanwhile, are considered likely to promote general manager Calvin Booth to run their front office, Charania reports (via Twitter).

The club has produced a series of successful basketball executives across the last decade, including Ujiri, Connelly, and Arturas Karnisovas, the GM in Denver before leaving to become the Bulls’ president of basketball operations. There’s a belief within the organization that Booth – a rising talent well-respected around the NBA – is capable of carrying that torch going forward, Charania notes.

Draft Notes: Sochan, Murray, Daniels, Walton, Mayer

May 22nd, 2022 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Jeremy Sochan doesn’t mind being thought of as irritating, writes David Aldridge of The Athletic. The Baylor forward, who has gone from a fringe first-rounder to a likely lottery pick in a matter of months, sees aggressive, annoying defense as his ticket to success in the NBA.

“I’ve always had that little edge,” he said. “My mom, she was my first coach, and to this day, she tells me defense comes first. … She used to tell me to be cheeky, being able to see the play two steps ahead. So, I feel with that, being cheeky, maybe getting into people’s spaces, can separate their games, and they can play worse. There’s examples: Draymond (Green), Patrick (Beverley), Jrue (Holiday), so there’s so many. I feel like I can be one of those in the next step.”

Sochan was the main attraction Friday in Chicago at an eight-player workout staged by Tandem Sports + Entertainment. At least nine NBA teams had representatives at the session, according to Aldridge, including the Spurs and Knicks, who both interviewed Sochan during the Draft Combine. San Antonio holds the ninth pick and New York has No. 11, which is about the range where Sochan is expected to be taken.

“We did a little bit (of defense) at the end, with the two-on-two, the screen work, but you can’t really show too much,” Sochan said after the session ended. “I feel like they’re going to have that in mind, and when I go to team workouts, I’ll be able to show a little bit more of that. And whoever picks me, I’ll be able to show that in practices and games.”

There’s more on the draft:

Iowa’s Keegan Murray will turn 22 before he plays his first NBA game, but he doesn’t believe his age will discourage teams from drafting him, according to James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star. “I’d say I’m a 21-year-old in an 18-year-old’s body,” Murray said. “In high school, I was a 5-foot-10 sophomore and ended up growing to 6-foot-8 my senior year of high school. So I’m a late bloomer in that sense, so for me, I’m young. I feel young. … If you’re comparing me on age and not what I do on the court, then maybe that’s another conversation. I feel like my ceiling is as high as anyone else in the draft.”
Dyson Daniels is starting to get some consideration as a top-five pick after an outstanding pro day at the combine, tweets Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The Australian swingman, who played with G League Ignite this season, impressed scouts with his shooting and “immense potential,” according to Givony.
North Carolina guard Kerwin Walton worked out for some teams this week, but he may decide to return to college and transfer, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Walton’s workouts included the Timberwolves and Bucks, and he has an upcoming session with the Hornets, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link).
Baylor’s Matthew Mayer plans to take his name out of the draft and transfer to another school, per Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog. “I’ve decided that I’m coming back to college, but don’t know where,” he said.

Northwest Notes: Connelly, Wolves, Jokic, Trail Blazers

May 21st, 2022 at 10:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

Nuggets president Tim Connelly faces several important decisions if he winds up running the Timberwolves, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Connelly is meeting with Wolves owner Glen Taylor this weekend, and the two sides appear to be getting close to a deal, per Hine.

Minnesota gave Chris Finch a four-year extension in March, so the coaching situation is stable. Connelly has experience working with Finch, who served as a Denver assistant in 2016/17. Things are less clear regarding the front office, which has been run by Sachin Gupta since Gersson Rosas was fired in September. Gupta recently made an important personnel move, hiring Steve Senior as assistant general manager.

As for the roster, Karl-Anthony Towns will be eligible for a super-max extension this offseason if the star center is voted onto an All-NBA team, Hine notes. Connelly would also have to determine whether to pursue extension talks with D’Angelo Russell, who is entering a contract year, and would be searching for ways to improve the roster to build on this year’s playoff appearance.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

If Connelly joins the Timberwolves, he might bring a big-name executive from another organization with him, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. Taylor isn’t expected to stand in the way of the rumored move, which is supported by incoming owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez.
The Nuggets‘ lack of urgency to keep Connelly should make Nikola Jokic think twice about committing to the organization, argues Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post. Kiszla accuses Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which owns the team, of treating everyone like they can be replaced, even Connelly, who built a potential title contender and was responsible for drafting Jokic in the second round. Connelly was upset that the Nuggets failed to offer him a long-term deal during the season, according to Kiszla, and that decision could cost the team one of its most valuable assets.
The Trail Blazers may target Charlotte’s Miles Bridges and Cody Martin in free agency, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Both players will be restricted free agents, so the Hornets could match any offer that Portland (or another team) makes.

Nuggets’ Connelly To Meet This Weekend With Wolves Owner

May 21st, 2022 at 10:06am CST by Dana Gauruder

Nuggets president Tim Connelly will meet with Timberwolves majority owner Glen Taylor regarding the top executive position within Minnesota’s organization, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Connelly has already discussed the position extensively with minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez and an in-person meeting with Taylor is next in the process, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter links).

As Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets, Lore and Rodriguez have significant influence over the process, but Taylor has to sign off on any deal.

Reports regarding Minnesota’s interest in Connelly surfaced on Wednesday. He has been the head of Denver’s basketball operations since 2013, when he was named vice president of basketball operations and general manager. He was promoted to president in 2017.

Connelly is the first external candidate to be officially linked to the lead basketball job in Minnesota’s front office. Executive vice president of basketball operations Sachin Gupta, who has been serving as the head of the basketball operations department on an interim basis following the dismissal of Gersson Rosas in September, remains a candidate for the position.

Lore and Rodriguez have pushed to have a proven, prominent exec take over the basketball operations, regardless of the cost. The Nuggets have been aware of Minnesota’s interest in Connelly for some time and don’t appear poised to make a major counter-offer, Mike Singer of the Denver Post tweets.

Draft Notes: Combine, Draft Traders, Withdrawals

May 20th, 2022 at 5:52pm CST by Rory Maher

In his article about the 2022 NBA Draft Combine, Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated says that while some rival teams think the Thunder will pick Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren No. 2, he’s heard “quite a few educated theories” that they might favor Duke’s Paolo Banchero instead — assuming the Magic take Auburn’s Jabari Smith No. 1, which isn’t a given.

Banchero is more physically ready for the NBA than Holmgren and has displayed impressive perimeter skills and passing for a power forward, but Oklahoma City plays its cards close to the vest, so don’t expect to know which player the Thunder will wind up picking until draft night, Woo writes.

Within the same piece, Woo says Shaedon Sharpe, who’s considered a wild card in the lottery due to not playing at all for Kentucky, is a near-certainty to be picked in the top five or six, as his “unusual talent and athletic ability has successfully captured the attention of the entire NBA this week.”

Woo also lists a handful of scrimmage standouts from Thursday who may have boosted their draft stocks, including North Carolina State’s Terquavion Smith, Santa Clara’s Jalen Williams, and Purdue’s Trevion Williams, among others.

Here are some more draft-related notes:

Within his aggregate mock draft, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto says rival executives believe the Hornets and Timberwolves are among the teams who might be draft traders. Charlotte controls the 13th, 15th and 45th picks, while Minnesota holds the 19th, 40th, 48th and 50th picks.
Three juniors, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, Dayton’s Toumani Camara and Saint Louis’ Yuri Collins, are withdrawing from the draft and returning to their respective schools, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (All Twitter links). Jackson-Davis had a strong season for the Hoosiers in 2021/22, averaging 18.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. However, he tested positive for COVID-19 and was unable to attend the combine, which may have contributed to his decision. He’s ranked No. 66 on ESPN’s big board, while Camara and Collins are unranked.
Souley Boum has also withdrawn from the draft, as Rothstein relays (via Twitter). Boum played for UTEP last season, averaging 19.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals, but will transfer to Xavier for his final collegiate season.

Coach/Exec Notes: Connelly, D’Antoni, Nets, Rockets

May 20th, 2022 at 12:36pm CST by Luke Adams

In general manager Calvin Booth, the Nuggets have a logical in-house replacement for Tim Connelly should their current president of basketball operations decide he wants to leave Denver to run the Timberwolves‘ front office, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack article. The Wolves are said to be in the market for a big-name basketball executive and are reportedly courting Connelly.

However, for the Nuggets, it’s not just as simple as wishing Connelly well and promoting Booth, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post (all Twitter links), who says there’s a lot of “angst” within the organization over the situation.

Connelly has had a significant impact on the Nuggets’ culture, empowering coaches, staffers, and players while creating a positive work environment, says Singer, adding that no one wants to see him go and there are people under Connelly who have taken less money to stay with the team. Connelly has also earned a significant amount of trust from Denver’s players, including Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, per Singer.

According to Stein, there’s some skepticism around the NBA that Connelly will view the Minnesota opportunity more favorably than his current situation in Denver, where the two-time reigning MVP is on the verge of signing a long-term extension. However, if the Wolves offer significantly more money or an ownership stake, Connelly will have a tough decision to make. It will be interesting to see if the Kroenkes, the Nuggets’ owners, step up to retain him, says Singer.

Here are a few more front office and coaching notes from around the NBA:

After previously reporting that Mike D’Antoni appeared to be in a strong position to land the Hornets‘ coaching job, Stein says there has been some “push-back” on that report this week, as some sources in coaching circles believe team owner Michael Jordan may be wary of hiring such an offense-first coach.
Nets director of player development Adam Harrington isn’t likely to return to the team for 2022/23, according to Stein. Harrington has worked closely with Kevin Durant over the last three years and his impending departure hadn’t been expected, Stein adds.
Kelly Iko of The Athletic identifies Rio Grande Valley Vipers coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah as a strong candidate for one of the open assistant jobs on Stephen Silas‘ Rockets staff. A report this week said that Rockets assistants Jeff Hornacek and Will Weaver won’t be back for next season.

Timberwolves In “Serious Talks” With Tim Connelly To Lead Front Office

May 18th, 2022 at 6:32pm CST by Rory Maher

The Timberwolves are pursuing Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly for their own president vacancy, sources tell Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who report that the Wolves recently requested and were granted permission to speak with Connelly, and the two sides “have moved beyond exploratory” discussions.

Although the Wolves are in “serious talks” with Connelly, nothing has been agreed to yet and “nothing appears imminent,” write Charania and Krawcyznski.

Connelly is widely-respected around the NBA for his work with Denver, having drafted back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Bones Hyland, and Monte Morris, among other current and former Nuggets players. He has been the head of Denver’s basketball operations since 2013, when he was named vice president of basketball operations and general manager. He was promoted to president in 2017.

The Nuggets have made the playoffs four straight seasons under Connelly, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2019/20. He has also hired and promoted several important coaches and executives, including head coach Michael Malone and former GM Arturas Karnisovas, who now leads the Bulls’ front office.

Connelly is the first external candidate to be officially linked to the lead basketball job in Minnesota’s front office. Executive vice president of basketball operations Sachin Gupta, who has been serving as the head of the basketball operations department on an interim basis following the dismissal of Gersson Rosas in September, remains a candidate to land the job permanently and is considered a “significant part of the organization’s long-term vision,” according to Charania and Krawcyznski.

Gupta was empowered by ownership to make some key front office decisions recently. He declined to pick up the option on the final year of former assistant GM Gianluca Pascucci‘s contract, replacing him with newly-hired Steve Senior, who was poached from Memphis. Senior will be in charge of the team’s player development.

Minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, who will become majority owners at the end of 2023, have pushed for a prominent figure to lead Minnesota’s basketball operations. In Lore’s other business ventures, he’s employed a philosophy centered on hiring “the best possible people, no matter the cost,” per The Athletic’s duo.

However, current majority owner Glen Taylor would be the primary decision-maker for a significant hire like Connelly. Taylor has been impressed with Gupta’s work, but also wants the transition to Lore and Rodriguez taking over as majority partners to go smoothly, so it’s a delicate balance.

A person “very close” to Connelly tells Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link) that Connelly would be looking for a significant payday in addition to a stake in the franchise in order to leave Denver for Minnesota, saying, “I don’t see it unless they give him $10M per (year) and equity.”

Mike Singer of The Denver Post reports that Connelly is among a list of big-name executives that the Wolves have circled for the vacancy, and he’s apparently considered the most “gettable,” assuming the compensation is right. A source tells Singer that Sam Presti of the Thunder, Masai Ujiri of the Raptors, and Bob Myers of the Warriors are the other executives the Wolves are interested in. The upcoming season is an option year for Connelly’s contract with the Nuggets, according to Singer.

As Chris Hine of the Star Tribune observes, hiring Connelly might be more complicated than just giving him a significant payday. Gupta negotiated a multiyear contract extension with head coach Chris Finch (and all of his assistants), and the two have a good working relationship.

New presidents typically want to hire the people they deem most suitable to work with — would Connelly want to retain Gupta and Finch? Would Gupta and Finch want to work with Connelly? There are lots of factors to consider in a very important offseason for the Wolves, says Hine.

2022 NBA Draft Picks By Team

May 18th, 2022 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

Not only did the Thunder move up in Tuesday’s draft lottery to claim this year’s No. 2 overall pick, but they’re also one of just three teams with four picks in the 2022 draft. No team’s 2022 selections are more valuable than Oklahoma City’s — in addition to the second overall pick, the Thunder control No. 12, No. 30, and No. 34.

The Spurs and Timberwolves also each own four 2022 draft picks, with San Antonio controlling three first-rounders and No. 38, while Minnesota has No. 19 and three second-rounders.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, four clubs don’t currently own any 2022 draft picks. The Lakers, Suns, and Jazz are three of those teams, and either the Sixers or the Nets will be the fourth, depending on whether Brooklyn decides to acquire Philadelphia’s first-rounder or defer it to 2023.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2022 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 58 selections by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

Oklahoma City Thunder (4): 2, 12, 30, 34
San Antonio Spurs (4): 9, 20, 25, 38
Minnesota Timberwolves (4): 19, 40, 48, 50
Orlando Magic (3): 1, 32, 35
Sacramento Kings (3): 4, 37, 49
Indiana Pacers (3): 6, 31, 58
Portland Trail Blazers (3): 7, 36, 57
New Orleans Pelicans (3): 8, 41, 52
Charlotte Hornets (3): 13, 15, 45
Cleveland Cavaliers (3): 14, 39, 56
Memphis Grizzlies (3): 22, 29, 47
Golden State Warriors (3): 28, 51, 55

Teams with two picks:

Houston Rockets: 3, 17
Detroit Pistons: 5, 46
Washington Wizards: 10, 54
New York Knicks: 11, 42
Atlanta Hawks: 16, 44

Teams with one pick:

Chicago Bulls: 18
Denver Nuggets: 21
Philadelphia 76ers: 23
Milwaukee Bucks: 24
Dallas Mavericks: 26
Miami Heat: 27
Toronto Raptors: 33
Los Angeles Clippers: 43
Boston Celtics: 53

Teams with no picks:

Brooklyn Nets
Los Angeles Lakers
Phoenix Suns
Utah Jazz

Team Has Some Growing Up To Do

May 16th, 2022 at 7:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

While the postseason experience will certainly help the Timberwolves down the road, they’ve got a lot of growing up to do, Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune opines. Scoggins notes that Minnesota gave away three double-digit fourth-quarter leads against Memphis due to a lack of maturity and composure, abetted by poor shot selection. The fact that D’Angelo Russell played his way out of the crunch time lineup also needs to addressed.

Timberwolves Decline Option On Assistant GM Gianluca Pascucci

May 15th, 2022 at 10:16pm CST by JD Shaw

The Timberwolves have declined to pick up their option on assistant general manager Gianluca Pascucci‘s contract for next season, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who explores what the team’s recent front office changes say about Sachin Gupta‘s future with the organization. Minnesota agreed this week to hire Steve Senior as an assistant GM.