Tim Connelly's Future Remains Murky, Other Takeaways from Timberwolves Media Day

The Wolves hoops boss did not elaborate on his contract status or future negotiations when asked during his time at the podium.

Tim Connelly is in the final year of his contract, and did not speak much about his future beyond the season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ah, media day. Where vibes are high, everyone is smiling, and 82 games plus some await a group of people we can only predict the outcome of over the next eight months.

The NBA's unofficial start to the season was Monday, with training camp following the podium time that president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, head coach Chris Finch, and the whole roster of players car washed through at Target Center.

While the Wolves made plenty of splashes over the last three months that are sure to impact their next eight, plenty was said that sets up an interesting start to the season for an extremely promising group—both on the floor and off.

Connelly has spent the last four seasons in Minnesota, but has not confirmed his long-term future with the Wolves. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tim Connelly's Murky Future

The Wolves' hoops boss has had numerous opportunities to come out and say that he's committed to the Twin Cities for the long haul this summer. With one year left on his contract and future salary stapled to the books from a John Konchar waive and stretch, it's a more than fair question to ask.

"It's a great place to work, and I just want to get better," he said at his exit interview in May.

Amidst reports during the offseason, there were murmurs that the Wolves would try to secure Connelly long-term. Then an ownership shift happened. In an episode of the Jon Krawczynski Show this summer, Connelly echoed his love for the Twin Cities but did not confirm that he is looking to be with the Wolves long term.

With the dust mostly settled on the ownership situation and the season back in full swing, his contract is less than a year from expiration, and it was a great chance to address it once again.

"I'm super happy here," he said. "I'm just focused on continuing to build and continuing to win games."

Oof.

Connelly has stayed loyal in his time in Minnesota despite multiple "option" clauses that have never secured his services for several years on end. With the ownership battle between Glen Taylor and the current group, it felt as though he kept his contract on a year-to-year basis to see what the team's future was. Completely fair. He was considered three years ago for the Washington Wizards top job, and overtures were made to him for the Dallas Mavericks job as well, though those never were going to come to fruition due to interview clauses in his contract.

Could he be using the possibility of freedom to leverage the Wolves for a better contract? It's possible. Does yet another change in ownership give him pause on locking himself down long term? It seems that could be likely. But there's enough up in the air to deem this a sizable story. The Wolves no longer have assets to attach in a trade, and future salary is stapled to the books. For better or worse, the truth as of media day is that the powder has been spent by Connelly and he has the ability to bolt if he wants to.

Honestly? It would be ridiculous not to consider it if you're him. He's an extremely accomplished executive with unlimited connections throughout the league. At 50 years old, a president of basketball operations job is demanding, time-consuming and often thankless. There are plenty of examples of executives keeping their options open outside of running teams at this stage of the career, and it's hard to blame them.

Some of this is speculation—he may sign an extension next week. But until he does, he hasn't—and has not overtly said he will do so, in fact avoiding doing that. It would be a massive win for the Wolves to lock him down long term. But until they do, this will be an interesting story to keep an eye on.

Anthony Edwards will be primed for a leadership role this season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Other Quick Hits

• Anthony Edwards said he doesn't plan to drastically change his leadership style. If something is wrong, he'll speak up. But he won't say something for the sake of saying it. Perhaps that's a good thing, perhaps not. We'll wait and see. The overarching theme of media day was how good the vibes are around the facility, but that's before a game is lost or won. When the team goes through their first three-game losing streak, it will be interesting to see who steps up and takes ownership. It's easy to see Edwards being that person, but as Finch pointed out, it's easy to have good vibes when no adversity has hit the team yet.

• On that note, one of the best unironic quotes of the day came from LaMelo Ball. When he was asked if there was anyone on the team he's particularly sought out to connect with, he went right to the floor.

Honestly, with my game, it kinda just happens for real.

LaMelo Ball

Ball has been shorter on words since he got to Minnesota, but he doesn't need to handicap his game with forced off-floor interaction. The Wolves are relying on him to jumpstart the offense by zipping the ball around the floor, and it seems that's exactly what he plans on doing.

• If you're interested in the human side of things, Donte DiVincenzo's entire availability is a must-watch. He was open, candid, and humble about recovering from his ruptured achilles, while also confident in his ability to bounce back. While his named was bandied about in trade talks as a salary match this offseason, he was assured that he would not be going anywhere—and on a bright note, both he and Tim Connelly expressed confidence that he will play again at some point in the season.

More than his injury, it will be interesting how DiVincenzo plays into the leadership structure of the team. An elder statesman at just 29 years old, he talked about his ability to lead guys while not playing and to be an ear for people to talk to if they need him. Of all of the stories that take place on the floor this year, the former Villanova guard's return will be one that everyone is rooting for, and inevitably happy when it takes place.

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