I mean this might not look good for the Twolves ownership (Pistons may pursue Connelly for POBO)

[AleksandarN]

I mean Connelly might jump ship. What if the Twolves lose to the Nuggets and Connelly jumps ship. What then? Or do they try and convince Connelly to stay by offering even more money. Will they even do that given the ownership status

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[KnixtapeH20]

What? How would that make them look bad?

Its a business. This is professional sports. Both players & front office are a revolving door. He won't make his decision until after the finals are over anyway

[famicommander]

Connelly should absolutely leave. The 2nd apron is coming to decimate the Timberwolves, and their ownership nonsense doesn't inspire confidence either. Their window is pretty much this season.

[dockingsched]

Shams was already heavily speculating that Connelly might leave since he was brought in by Lore/Arod and now with Taylor doing what he did with the wolves ownership, Connelly might be looking to use his opt out to jump ship

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[zeebneeb]

Gores went deep for Monty, and if hes serious about finally righting the ship, he's gonna have to go DEEP for Conelly. 20 million per, 5 years will get it done.

Before anyone balks, look at the state of the Pistons, and Conellys resume. Its gonna COST.

[Chuck Everett]

They're saying Connelly may get offered 15 million a year by Detroit. If that's the case, you can't be surprised if a dude leaves. He's at least going to have 5 years and he will be in the easier conference.

[AleksandarN]

They're saying Connelly may get offered 15 million a year by Detroit. If that's the case, you can't be surprised if a dude leaves. He's at least going to have 5 years and he will be in the easier conference.

That’s generational wealth. Connelly also doesn’t have an issue leaving a great situation if the situation is right. He might look at the instability of the ownership situation and the willingness to spend money to go over the cap and second apron.

[azcatz11]

He may have drafted Jokic but he’s on record saying he didn’t know who he was. Basically built his entire career on one of his euro scouts who wanted to take a chance…so yeah. Hopefully he donates a lot of that money to charity

[phanman]

Doubling his salary would make anybody entertain leaving their current situation. With what is gong on in Minnesota and how much Glen criticized his current deal, I think the writing is on the wall. Transforming Detroit back into a playoff contender with key building blocks already in place I think would be much more rewarding that trying to skirt around the 2nd apron to retool this expensive Minnesota team.

[famicommander]

He may have drafted Jokic but he’s on record saying he didn’t know who he was. Basically built his entire career on one of his euro scouts who wanted to take a chance…so yeah. Hopefully he donates a lot of that money to charity

Of the Nuggets championship roster, Tim Connelly acquired:
Nikola Jokic (draft)
Jamal Murray (draft)
Michael Porter Jr. (draft)
Aaron Gordon (trade)
Jeff Green (free agency)
Zeke Nnaji (draft)
Vlatko Cancar (draft)

Calvin Booth acquired:
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (trade)
Bruce Brown (free agency)
Ish Smith (trade)
DeAndre Jordan (free agency)
Reggie Jackson (waivers)
Thomas Bryant (trade)
Christian Braun (draft)
Peyton Watson (draft)
Collin Gillespie (undrafted free agent)
Jack White (undrafted free agent)

The playoff rotation was Jokic, Murray, Porter, Gordon, KCP, Brown, Green, and Braun. So 5/8 guys were Connelly acquisitions. Booth put the finishing touches on the rotation and overhauled the end of the bench, but Connelly deserves credit for Joker, Murray, Porter, Gordon, and Green.

[ForeverTFC]

He's at the very least going to get a higher contract with Minny, no? Would be foolish not to opt out and get a larger pay day, regardless of where it comes from.

BTW - Masai makes ~$15m per year + will get a share of the incremental increase in value for Raptors franchise during his current contract. Word is this was a lesser package than one offered by Washington that included north of $15m in annual salary + ownership stake in the franchise. So if Gores does throw $15m at Connelly, it's not some crazy number coming out of nowhere.

[ForeverTFC]

He may have drafted Jokic but he’s on record saying he didn’t know who he was. Basically built his entire career on one of his euro scouts who wanted to take a chance…so yeah. Hopefully he donates a lot of that money to charity

Of the Nuggets championship roster, Tim Connelly acquired:
Nikola Jokic (draft)
Jamal Murray (draft)
Michael Porter Jr. (draft)
Aaron Gordon (trade)
Jeff Green (free agency)
Zeke Nnaji (draft)
Vlatko Cancar (draft)

Calvin Booth acquired:
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (trade)
Bruce Brown (free agency)
Ish Smith (trade)
DeAndre Jordan (free agency)
Reggie Jackson (waivers)
Thomas Bryant (trade)
Christian Braun (draft)
Peyton Watson (draft)
Collin Gillespie (undrafted free agent)
Jack White (undrafted free agent)

The playoff rotation was Jokic, Murray, Porter, Gordon, KCP, Brown, Green, and Braun. So 5/8 guys were Connelly acquisitions. Booth put the finishing touches on the rotation and overhauled the end of the bench, but Connelly deserves credit for Joker, Murray, Porter, Gordon, and Green.

You also have to imagine he had a lot of input into KCP and Brown as those targets would have been aligned on and discussed before he left the franchise, and Booth came from his staff.

[LightTheBeam]

Connelly should absolutely leave. The 2nd apron is coming to decimate the Timberwolves, and their ownership nonsense doesn't inspire confidence either. Their window is pretty much this season.

This is the type of overreaction we saw from fans about Denver after game 2. Come on now. The team has Edwards/McDaniels/Naz locked up. They can trade Towns, let Gobert expire and start to build the team around those 3 and contend for 10 more years.

[Johnny Bball]

This really isn't surprising given Taylor's actions. Most execs would bail too after all that, even without a guaranteed gig.

[EmpireFalls]

A rebuild is much more fun than a win-now situation with a cap crunch coming.

[shrink]

Keep in mind, when this video was released, both ownership groups were spinning news to try to get fans behind them. This was intended to make it sound like if ARod and Lore don’t gain ownership, their boy Connelly would leave in protest. I would say that’s foolish, and maybe even backwards.

Put yourself in Connelly’s shoes. If you’re a GM what do you want from an owner?:

1. Respect: While ARod and Lore made the approach, and deserve credit, Taylor told them “people like him don’t come to MIN.” This would be like telling your wife, “I thought you were too beautiful to go on a first date with me back then!” He has said nothing but good things about Connelly, and supported him publicly through the first year of backlash from the Gobert trade.

2. Autonomy: Connelly has been GM for two years under Taylor, and has seen more autonomy than a GM could expect. Remember when everyone was panning the Gobert trade? Taylor didn’t like it either, but he signed off on it, trusting Connelly. Taylor has a long history of sitting back and letting GMs do what they want - if anything, people are critical that he doesn’t get in and fire guys earlier. Not great for fans, but good spot if you’re already the GM.

3. Money: Taylor is the richest man in Minnesota. Connelly is making $10 mil a year with the Wolves, which is the second highest salary for a GM in the NBA, and Taylor is the one paying the bulk of Connelly’s paycheck. I assume he’d match any offer DET would make. Taylor has also agreed on all the player extensions Connelly wanted. ARod and Lore’s net worth is questioned nationally, and it’s not until they become owners when the bulk of the team’s financial burden (and lux taxes) fall on them. ARod and Lore presented a plan to the other owners and their lender to not just cut payroll under the second apron, but under the lux! To Connelly, this would mean forcing him to slash critical parts of the contender he built.

4. Security: Connelly says he and his family love living in Minnesota, and his work ethic and modesty fit well here. Whether that’s just lip service or not, we know Taylor will not move this team. If ARod and Lore lose, they won’t even own a team - if they win, it’s just more promises the team stays in Minnesota.

Now, part of the reason that Connelly said he took the job in MIN was for the challenge, and perhaps he’d want to go to DET for a new challenge. Or maybe he wants to show his plan for the expensive roster he created? Even more likely, maybe he wants to see if the team he built can win him a ring? He missed out in DEN. Regardless, I think he’s going to make the best choice for himself and family, not leaving a dream job because owners are currently fighting.

[Chuck Everett]

Connelly should absolutely leave. The 2nd apron is coming to decimate the Timberwolves, and their ownership nonsense doesn't inspire confidence either. Their window is pretty much this season.

This is the type of overreaction we saw from fans about Denver after game 2. Come on now. The team has Edwards/McDaniels/Naz locked up. They can trade Towns, let Gobert expire and start to build the team around those 3 and contend for 10 more years.

Just an FYI, Naz can opt out after next season (2025 summer). He could still leave for a bigger payday/role as an UFA and I am not saying that he will.

[hugepatsfan]

Connelly should absolutely leave. The 2nd apron is coming to decimate the Timberwolves, and their ownership nonsense doesn't inspire confidence either. Their window is pretty much this season.

This is the type of overreaction we saw from fans about Denver after game 2. Come on now. The team has Edwards/McDaniels/Naz locked up. They can trade Towns, let Gobert expire and start to build the team around those 3 and contend for 10 more years.

You’re kind of making his point. Suggesting they can trade one of and let the other of their 2nd/3rd best players go is what he means by “decimated”. Sure they can rebuild on the fly like you suggest but that’s a tough challenge.

[Manimal]

In some ways being the GM of a 2nd apron team that is already built into a title contender is a pretty nice job to have. Especially one that barely has any draft picks for the next few years. There is so little you need to do and also so little you have the ability to actually do, that it seems pretty simple and straightforward. But at the same time, being so restricted forces you to work around the edges and be more creative and locked in, that (I imagine) it becomes way more difficult. Especially working for a small market team with an ownership that doesn't seem to have deep pockets.

When he was with the Nuggets, Connelly was a lot better scouting/drafting than he ever was at working trades. To me he seems like a great guy to have lead a rebuild effort, more so than the guy you want polishing up the final pieces of a contender and maintaining that. I think Detroit would be a great situation for him and better suit what I perceive to be his strengths. That said, none of us truly know the internal dynamics of how these front offices operate on a day to day basis. And at the end of the day, most of this always comes down to money. It'll be interesting to see how things shake out with that whole management team, from ownership to Connelly.

[LightTheBeam]

Connelly should absolutely leave. The 2nd apron is coming to decimate the Timberwolves, and their ownership nonsense doesn't inspire confidence either. Their window is pretty much this season.

This is the type of overreaction we saw from fans about Denver after game 2. Come on now. The team has Edwards/McDaniels/Naz locked up. They can trade Towns, let Gobert expire and start to build the team around those 3 and contend for 10 more years.

You’re kind of making his point. Suggesting they can trade one of and let the other of their 2nd/3rd best players go is what he means by “decimated”. Sure they can rebuild on the fly like you suggest but that’s a tough challenge.

If Ant becomes the best player in the world, which is very possible, they will contend. According to this board KAT has trade value, I've been saying they should move him for years.

They have one of the top 5 best players in the league + a great young wing role player. They may have to re-tool to reduce the team cap, but that shouldn't be hard. The part I disagree wtih it "Their window is pretty much this season" that's a joke. 25+ teams would switch places with them tonight.