Tim Connelly was hired as the Minnesota Timberwolves' president of basketball operations on May 23, 2022. On July 6 of that year, he traded four first-round picks, a first-round pick swap and five players to the Utah Jazz for Rudy Gobert. The swift backlash to the deal, which, at the time, was one of the most controversial in modern NBA history, did nothing to dissuade Connelly's aggressive approach.
Over the past four years, he has reshaped the roster time and again with a series of blockbuster trades, and has had no problem shipping out fan favorites in the process. He gave the San Antonio Spurs a first-round pick and a first-round pick swap for Rob Dillingham on draft night in 2024, sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo days before the 2024-25 season started, moved Dillingham and four second-round picks to the Chicago Bulls for Ayo Dosunmu at last season's deadline and started this summer by dealing Randle to the Brooklyn Nets for the No. 33 pick in the draft (Isaiah Evans) and a trade exception. Connelly's latest move rivaled the Gobert deal for shock value and amount of takes generated: Naz Reid, an unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps and three second-round picks to the Charlotte Hornets for LaMelo Ball.
Amid all of Connelly's wheeling and dealing, the Timberwolves have been highly successful. Over the last three seasons, they are 154-92, which is tied for the fifth-most wins in the league in that span, have never been eliminated prior to the second round of the playoffs and went to back-to-back Western Conference Finals in 2024 and 2025. Will the Ball trade push them over the top and into the Finals for the first time in franchise history?
Or backfire and effectively end this era of Timberwolves basketball? As we wait to find out, here's a look at what we've learned about the latest iteration of the Wolves during preseason. By trade, Anthony Edwards is a shooting guard, but due to the Timberwolves' roster construction and the nature of the modern NBA, he's often found himself handling the ball and initiating offense, and has grown comfortable in that role.
Ball, on the other hand, is one of the league's most unique point guards, and had unlimited freedom in Charlotte to do whatever he saw fit on the offensive end. Edwards and Ball both had usage rates above 30% last season, and ranked seventh and 10th in the league, respectively, in that category. Giving Edwards a point guard as talented as Ball is an exciting prospect, but both players will have to sacrifice and there are some questions about the fit, starting with how much they'll play together.
Finch has answered the first one. Ideally, he sees them as a partnership. "I've thought about it of course, but I haven't overthought it.
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