Timberwolves agree to deal with Nuggets’ Connelly
DENVER — Tim Connelly is leaving his job as president of
basketball operations of the Denver Nuggets for a similar role with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
A person familiar with the move, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because it had not been announced, said Connelly agreed to the deal on Monday.
Connelly steadily built the Nuggets into a perennial playoff
contender through draft picks that included two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and
point guard Jamal Murray.
Connelly’s decision to switch teams inside the Western Conference’s Northwest Division was first reported by The Athletic and ESPN. The deal is reportedly for five years and worth more than $40 million. It also includes ownership equity.
Connelly will oversee a Timberwolves team led by Karl-anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards. The Timberwolves are coming off a 46-win
season and their first playoff appearance
since 2018. They took the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies to
six games before being eliminated.
In 2013, Connelly stepped in for Masai Ujiri when Ujiri left for the Toronto Raptors. The Nuggets won 48 games this season
despite missing Murray (knee) for the entire season and Michael Porter Jr. (back) for all but nine games.
Minnesota shook up its front office right before training camp began last fall when the team fired Gersson Rosas in response to mounting tension
around him in the
building. Sachin Gupta was promoted to be president of basketball operations in Rosas’ place, with the caveat that the position would be evaluated again this summer.
Gupta was well-regarded within the organization for his humble, steady leadership, notably from coach Chris Finch. The franchise is currently in an ownership transition, with Glen Taylor in the process of handing over control to co-buyers Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez in a sale that’s scheduled to be completed by the end of next year.
With Connelly leaving, the Nuggets could give more responsibility to general manager Calvin Booth. One of
Denver’s top priorities this summer is signing Jokic to a supermax deal.