Timberwolves Exec Tim Connelly Has Fearless Mindset for Roster Changes

Over the years, the Minnesota Timberwolves have quietly become one of the more aggressive teams in the NBA in terms of making upgrades to the roster. This offseason, there was no shortage of aggression from this front office. 

Minnesota traded away two premier forwards, Naz Reid and Julius Randle, and added former Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball. The hope now is that this season could be the year when the Timberwolves finally get over the hump and become true championship contenders. 

Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly recently spoke about this aggressive approach, and he wants to leave his mark on the team, knowing that he doesn't regret any of the moves he made. 

"If it doesn’t work and it’s my job, I’ll get fired,” he said. “That’s fine. But I don’t ever want to be in a position where we’re reluctant to take big swings.”

The LaMelo Ball trade was not the only time Connelly has been aggressive in the offseason. He also traded center Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. 

Star player Anthony Edwards may be the reason why Connelly feels the need to be so aggressive in the offseason to construct the best team possible. Edwards has led this team as far as the Western Conference Finals, and he has given hope to this front office that they can win a championship with him at the forefront. 

Currently, Minnesota is running the risk of having a weaker frontcourt thanks to the investment in the elite backcourt. Center Rudy Gobert is still on the team and is looking to make an impact, especially on the defensive end, but the power forward spot has been a question mark for much of the offseason. 

The Timberwolves did decide to take a chance on former Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, whom they signed to a team-friendly two-year deal. The good part for a player like Kuminga is that he does not have to do anything extraordinary with the Timberwolves in order for them to succeed. 

This roster has a lot of versatility on both ends of the floor, and it will be interesting to see how these new faces mesh over the course of the season. Overall, Tim Connelly has been known to take a chance on players who maybe didn't get a fair shot elsewhere or trade away multiple draft picks for an elite player. 

His approach could bode well for a Timberwolves winning season, and the ceiling of this team is higher than it's been before.