Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly is drawing extra attention as Marc Stad prepares to take majority control of the franchise from current co-owner Marc Lore.
The reason is simple: Connelly is believed to have a strong relationship with Stad, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line. That matters because Connelly has just one year left on his Timberwolves contract, and he was also one of Dallas’ front office targets before the Mavericks hired Masai Ujiri earlier this offseason.
A change in ownership often brings changes in the front office or on the bench, but that may not be the direction Minnesota is headed. Stad was already a minority shareholder and had been involved in organizational decisions within the current ownership group, which could help keep the structure intact. Chris Finch is also under contract longer than Connelly, with two years remaining on his deal, Stein notes.
The sale itself still has a timeline attached to it. According to Stein, formal approval from the NBA’s Board of Governors on Lore’s majority-stake sale to Stad may not come until January.
Stein also reported on a few other teams around the league. In Miami, center Nick Richards is viewed as a “prime candidate” to sign with the Heat.
Stein added that guard Gabe Vincent and wing Keshad Johnson are also under consideration as the team tries to sort out the final openings on its projected 15-man roster. Miami has two standard roster spots and one two-way slot available, and among the three players mentioned, only Johnson remains two-way eligible.
In Dallas, the front office continues to take shape. Mavericks vice president of strategy and analytics Andrew Baker and director of pro player personnel Makhtar N’Diaye both left the organization earlier in August, Stein reported.
Both had been hired by former general manager Nico Harrison and stayed on under co-interim GMs Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi this season. Stein says Finley is now the only high-ranking executive from the previous regime still holding a role in the Mavericks’ new-look front office.
Stein also noted that rival teams are still monitoring Kyrie Irving as a potential trade candidate, even though the Mavericks have pushed away inquiries so far.
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