The Minnesota Timberwolves entered this season with internal turmoil after firing team president Gersson Rosas just before training camp, but the team managed to put forth its best season since 2018, earning the 7-seed in the West through the play-in.
Their first round exit against the Memphis Grizzlies showed where their roster still needs to improve, and this summer figures to be critical for building on last year’s success if they are going to vault into the contender class in the West. To help guide that effort, the Wolves went out searching for a new president of basketball operations and have managed to poach away one of the league’s top executives, Nuggets president Tim Connelly, by offering a compensation package that includes a $40 million contract and a kicker that includes ownership equity that Denver was not willing to match.
ESPN Sources: Denver Nuggets President Tim Connelly has agreed to a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves that’ll make him one of the NBA’s highest compensated executives. Significant coup for Minnesota franchise.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 23, 2022
Minnesota has an agreement with Denver Nuggets President Tim Connelly to become the Timberwolves’ new President of Basketball Operations on a five-year, $40 million deal with a kicker for ownership equity, sources tell me and @JonKrawczynski.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 23, 2022
The Nuggets will reportedly elevate GM Calvin Booth into Connelly’s role.
Sources: Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth is now expected to assume lead basketball operations role for the franchise. There is significant belief in Booth inside the organization, and the former NBA veteran is well-respected as a rising executive across league.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 23, 2022
It’s a massive deal handed out by the Wolves that makes Connelly one of the league’s highest paid executives and one of the few with an equity stake, which is quite the commitment from Minnesota and one that they’ll hope pays off in continued growth for the team. Connelly’s track record in Denver is certainly strong, having turned Denver into a perennial playoff team in the West, chiefly off of homegrown talent, and the Wolves will hope that he can find the right moves to make this offseason to continue their ascent after a major step forward this season.