The Minnesota Timberwolves are headed to Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive season. Once again, their quest for a championship ended prematurely. Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly on their surprising start. He’s been able to do this by doubling down on the core of their players and a strong understanding of roster management and future draft class’s.
The Timberwolves currently own the 17th and 31st overall picks in the upcoming NBA draft. These selections provide them fantastic opportunities to improve their roster. They now find themselves over the NBA’s second apron, which features severe tax and roster-building restrictions. This situation has induced a fear through the entirety of the organization to keep that kind of payroll.
Tim Connelly expressed satisfaction with the team’s current core, stating, “We feel very happy with the core we have. We don’t feel like there’s tremendous pressure to do much.” Yet his comments suggest a particularly smart strategy – one that favors long-term growth and team unity over quick fixes or knee-jerk reactions.
Connelly’s biggest takeaway was the need for patience in establishing a winning team. Those organizations with an ability to demonstrate forbearance are generally successful at an extremely high rate. Patience must not become an excuse for risk aversion,” he said. His words highlighted the importance of forward-thinking innovation and bold action, stating in part, “But short of the moment you’re raising that trophy, you’ve got to be as proactive and as innovative as you can be to reach the point where you are that last team standing.
Connelly is pushing back his entry into free agency. He deferred an option on his contract a year. This decision has been made out of respect for the ownership change that remains underway for the franchise. As of this writing, the transition is still awaiting final approval from the NBA. Glen Taylor’s sale of the Timberwolves to a group led by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez was recently upheld by an arbitration panel. This decision brings enormous momentum to that transition.
Beyond this, the Timberwolves have some crucial contract decisions to make on their core players. Julius Randle (NYK) and Naz Reid (MIN) have partial guarantees for 2025-26. Meanwhile they have major roster decisions looming on contract options and free agency. Reid, at 25 years of age, is due a contract option in the neighborhood of $15 million. At the same time, Nickeil Alexander-Walker will be set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer.
The Timberwolves are similarly thrilled to expand the roles of their own rookies, Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. They have lofty things in store for second-year player Jaylen Clark, as well. This renewed emphasis on youth development dovetails perfectly with their short and long term vision of creating a competitive team for years to come.
Connelly remains optimistic about retaining key players. “The goal is to keep everybody. What’s neat is the players are all very happy here. They love the coaching staff, they love the teammates, they love the community,” he stated. His comments underscore the encouraging sentiment inside the organization and the prospect for long-term stability.
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