Tim Connelly didn’t exactly hide the pitch.
With the Minnesota Timberwolves introducing LaMelo Ball and Josh Green on Tuesday morning, the bigger conversation was always going to be the one hovering over the franchise: LeBron James. And when Connelly spoke to reporters for the first time since James left the Los Angeles Lakers to look for a new team, he made it clear Minnesota wants in on the chase.
His message was built around two things - what the Wolves have become, and who they already have in place.
“Obviously he's an unbelievable player, whatever decision he's making, is gonna be the right one. There's a lot going on when you're as great as he is, you should have optionality.
I think when you look at our team, it's hard not to be excited about what we have. We have the best coach, we have amazing fans.
…The last couple of years, our success has been as good as anybody outside of the guys that have won it all. And I think, not just speaking to LeBron, any free agent, this is a place we're gonna have a lot of fun, we're gonna win a lot of games, and, um, you know, we're trying to change the narrative of how this organization is viewed.”
Connelly kept going, and the second half of the sales job was just as direct.
"We're kind of proud of who we are, and certainly, wherever LeBron ends up is gonna make that place much, much, much better, but it's hard not to look at LaMelo, and [Jaden McDaniels], and [Rudy Gobert,] and [Anthony Edwards], and [Josh Green], and we saw what [Terrance Shannon Jr.] did in the postseason. We think Beringer has a chance [to be] a really special player.
We're extremely excited to get [Ayo Dosunmu] back. That was a pretty competitive market.
He has options all over the league. …I like who we are, and certainly, we're pretty proud of who we are, so hopefully that's appealing, not just to LeBron, but any free agent.”
That’s the heart of Minnesota’s case: not just the logo, not just the market, but the fit.
James is weighing a list of suitors that each come with their own hook. The Cleveland Cavaliers would mean a return home, with Akron about an hour away.
The Miami Heat would reunite him with Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Golden State Warriors would create an aging super team in the West, and the Philadelphia 76ers would offer another star-heavy path in a winnable Eastern Conference.
The Timberwolves are selling something different. They’re selling basketball that makes sense.
Connelly pointed to Anthony Edwards and Ball as the kind of backcourt pairing that could turn heads next season. He also mentioned Jaden McDaniels, who Chris Finch told the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Christopher Hine could play some power forward minutes to begin the season but was unlikely to start. Rudy Gobert gives Minnesota a defensive anchor in the middle, and James could slide in at power forward while bringing veteran leadership to the group.
For a fan base that has watched the franchise climb from long-running punchline to a team that reached the Western Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons before losing in the Western Conference semifinals last season, the idea borders on surreal.
But that’s exactly why the Wolves are in the conversation at all. They believe they have a team that can win, a coach who can sell it, and a roster that could make sense for James right away.
Whether that’s enough is the question. Connelly made sure Minnesota’s case was on the table before James makes his call.
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 Are Making A Franchise-Altering Push For LeBron James
Tim Connellys latest comments put a little more shape around Minnesotas pursuit of LeBron James, and they also showed how the Timberwolves are trying to sell the idea of coming to the Twin Cities. The front office leader said the pitch centers on a fun environment and the chance to pile up wins, which is the kind of message a team with bigger ambitions than its recent history has to make when it reaches for a player of James stature.
Minnesota is reportedly one of five teams in the mix, with Miami, Golden State, Philadelphia and Cleveland also mentioned, but the broader picture still feels unsettled. There is no timeline on James decision and no real indication yet of which club sits closest to the finish line, leaving the Wolves in the familiar position of waiting to see whether an aggressive recruitment effort turns into something far more franchise-altering. [Read more 🡒]