Tim Connelly didn’t exactly hide the pitch. He just framed it like the Timberwolves are selling the whole operation, not a single sales job.
Speaking Tuesday at a news conference for LaMelo Ball and Josh Green, the Minnesota front office head addressed the team’s pursuit of LeBron James and made the case in plain terms: Minnesota would be a place where James could have fun and win plenty of games.
"I don’t know, I feel like the recruitment is this team. Obviously he’s an unbelievable player, whatever decision he makes is going to be the right one.
There’s a lot going on, when you’re as great as he is, there should be optionality," Connelly said. "This is a place you’re going to have a lot of fun, you’re going to win a lot of games, we’re trying to change the narrative of how this organization is viewed.
Wherever LeBron ends up is going to make that place much, much better."
Connelly also pointed to the roster situation Minnesota is dealing with, saying the team is down two great power forwards and will need to be creative. He added, "We’re down two great power forwards so it’s certainly an area we’re going to have to try to be creative. There’s a couple free agents still available, we’re working one or two of them right now, we’ll see if that comes to fruition."
That naturally leaves James as the obvious name hovering over the discussion.
The Timberwolves are reportedly one of five teams still in the mix, alongside Miami, Golden State, Philadelphia and Cleveland. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic said on KFAN Radio Tuesday morning that Minnesota remains very much in the conversation to land James.
There’s still no timeline for a decision, and no clear read on which team has the edge.
Even Ball got pulled into the conversation about James potentially joining Minnesota. Asked, "You put in a call to LeBron James and say come on with us?" Ball answered, "Yeah, whatever you’re thinking," Ball said.
If James does land in Minnesota, the fit is obvious from the team’s perspective: he would help fill the power forward void and give the Timberwolves the kind of talent they’d need to chase the NBA Finals next season.
In Other News...
Timberwolves Fans Just Got A Glimpse Of A Very Different Era
LaMelo Ball is wasting no time making Minnesota feel like his own, and the first signs have come off the court. As he settles in, the guard has been showing off a pair of customized rides that lean hard into his personal branding, including a Tesla Cybertruck and a Mercedes-AMG G-Wagon, a flashy introduction that fits the kind of player who tends to arrive with his own style already fully formed.
For Timberwolves fans, the bigger picture is what Ball represents on the floor after a major roster shakeup and a fresh start in a new backcourt. His latest season also reminded everyone how productive he can be when healthy, and now the intrigue is whether that same mix of scoring, playmaking and star power can translate into something bigger in Minnesota while the details of this new era keep coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Just Made Their Boldest Case Yet To LeBron James
The Timberwolves used a recent introduction of LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to make a broader point about where the roster stands now, and Gersson Rosas did not shy away from selling the teams direction. Minnesotas front office has been leaning into the idea that the group around its core is deeper and more appealing than it has been in years, with recent success giving the organization a stronger voice as it tries to attract established talent and the next wave of free agents.
LeBron James is the biggest name in that conversation, and Minnesotas pitch has been aimed at showing that this is no longer a franchise simply hoping to be taken seriously. The Wolves are presenting themselves as a team with real momentum and a legitimate path forward, while James weighs his next move and other contenders continue to circle. [Read more 🡒]