Alex Rodriguez Tired of Tim Connelly to Mavericks Talk: Timberwolves Owner Pushes Back
Alex Rodriguez has heard enough. The Minnesota Timberwolves co-owner is publicly fed up with the constant drumbeat of stories tying Wolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly to the Dallas Mavericks job, and he made that crystal clear Friday in comments captured by reporters at the team’s facility.
The short version of A-Rod’s stance: Connelly is not going anywhere. The Wolves are not granting permission for anyone to talk to him. And whoever keeps planting these stories needs to find a new hobby.
The whole thing got triggered by reports that the Mavericks had Connelly at the top of their wish list during their search to replace Nico Harrison. Dallas eventually pivoted to Masai Ujiri after concluding that Minnesota was never going to let them have a conversation. Ujiri got hired Friday. A-Rod is acting like the entire saga should be over.
Why Connelly Mattered
Connelly is one of the three or four most coveted basketball executives in the league. He built the Denver Nuggets roster that won the 2023 title, then jumped to Minnesota and turned them into a perennial Western Conference contender. This year’s Wolves squad just made the second round before bowing out to the Spurs in six games.
His contract pays him well, but the Mavs and a handful of other teams have been willing to push the price even higher. There is a reason every job search starts with a phone call to Minnesota. He is that good.
What A-Rod Is Really Saying
Read between the lines and the Timberwolves co-owner is sending a message to two audiences. The first is the Mavericks and anyone else who comes knocking. The second is Connelly himself.
The message to Connelly is that the Wolves are committed to him long term, that ownership backs his decisions, and that the team is willing to spend to keep him. That kind of public commitment matters in executive circles. Most teams will not say nice things about their own staff in public. A-Rod is saying them on purpose.
The message to the Mavericks is more subtle. Stop floating his name in trial balloons. The Wolves have a championship window open right now. Anthony Edwards is 24. Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid are both signed. Losing Connelly in the middle of that would destabilize the front office and slow the rebuild of next year’s roster.
What Happens Next
Probably nothing for a while. The Mavericks got their man in Ujiri. The Wolves get to keep their guy in Connelly. Both teams can now focus on the offseason.
The real test comes next year, when Connelly’s contract gets closer to its option years and when whichever big-market team is looking can throw silly money at him. The Wolves will need to extend him before then. A-Rod and Marc Lore have to decide if they are willing to make him the highest-paid executive in pro basketball.
The Bigger Picture
This is what success looks like for a small-market franchise that finally figured it out. The Wolves used to be the league’s punchline. Now they are the team everyone is trying to poach from.
Connelly has a no-trade clause in his current deal. He does not have a contract for life. The Wolves can either get him to that point with a long-term extension this summer or they can keep dealing with these stories every six months for the rest of his career.
A-Rod made his preference clear. The rest of the league heard him.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
