Warning: Tim Connelly has a Reported Out in His Contract After Timberwolves Season
Amidst the ongoing owner drama within the Minnesota Timberwolves organization, NBA insider Shams Charania (FanDuel TV) revealed today that president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly, doesn’t have to stick around this dysfunctional franchise, if he chooses not to deal with the ownership battle that is currently taking place.
On May 23rd, 2022, the Timberwolves appointed Tim Connelly as their president of basketball operations, a deal we now know was worth five years, $40 million. That same summer, he orchestrated the trade for Rudy Gobert, along with a plethora of other deals and acquisitions he’s completed since (Kyle Anderson, Mike Conley Jr, Monte Morris, etc), most of which have undeniably proven to be outstanding moves.
Tim Connelly has an out in his Minnesota Timberwolves PoBO contract
But that doesn’t mean all is necessarily going well on the home front. Yes, there are three more years remaining on Tim’s contract… but that doesn’t necessarily mean he has to finish said contract.
Shams Charania (FanDuel TV), late Thursday morning, reported an out in Tim’s contract with the Timberwolves. An out that would allow him to break the agreement and become a highly coveted free agent after this season, should he decide, for any reason, that he no longer wants to run the Wolves’ front office.
This doesn’t mean Connelly is already making plans to hit the open market, when the Wolves season eventually ends, but he does have a plausible way of making that happen, if he so desires. As Shams notes, it could even mean an extension, too. In other words, all options are on the table.
The key factor, according to Shams, will be Connelly’s willingness to navigate the owner drama. Would he be willing to leave behind a roster packed full of talent that he’s carefully built? That would be tough but, if he were to hit the open market, massive offers would be plentiful.
I’m certain that Tim Connelly has already thought about whether or not he wants to be the Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations, even if the tandem that brought him there, Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, are no longer in the majority ownership picture.
Today, though, I’d imagine he is much more focused on where the Minnesota Timberwolves will land in the Western Conference playoff picture, and then, how far they can push one of the greatest seasons in franchise history.
