“I’m Super Excited For Next Season.” | Tim Connelly End Of Season Media Availability | 06.02.25

“I’m Super Excited For Next Season.” | Tim Connelly End Of Season Media Availability | 06.02.25

twin City Pioneers in the house huh yeah absolutely Nice Um guys want to ask questions opening statement Thank you Opening statement You want one uh thank you for coming Uh it’s been a really fun year Obviously didn’t end the way we had hoped Um but super proud of the guys the coaches the entire organization Um and again it’s it’s always painful when the season doesn’t end as the last team but um I thought we accomplished a lot this year Um continue to build off a really strong foundation and I’m super excited for uh next season Thanks Dan Thank you Tim How do you how do you balance kind of like what everything the team went through this year to get as far as it did with just the way that it ended maybe even in you know game five there and just kind of Yeah I mean I don’t think you can take one game and put too much emphasis on it I mean think I think game four was statistical anomaly There was something like teams like 160 and0 when they did all the things we did and unfortunately we were that the team that broke the streak Um so I think what we’ve continued to focus on is the day-to-day approach and the ability to get better and better Uh we closed the year as hot as any team Um it was really challenging with every game being so meaningful um to ensure we’re out of the playin and then I thought um you know we showed a lot of maturity and growth in the playoffs It was a group that a lot of new faces and a lot of new faces had a huge impact So um I think you got to take the emotion out of it a bit and see on a whole how was the season and on the whole we’re pretty proud of the year we had Not happy with it Not content by any stretch but pretty pretty happy with um how the guys competed and you know where we got with uh your contract situation Just what do you see for your future here with Minnesota i mean as long as Twin City Pioneer Press is here No Um no Yeah Um no super happy here It’s been great It’s not just as um as working with the team but just whole community So it really feels like home Um I think you guys are stuck with me What about roster retention do you think you know you’ve managed to shake it up previous periods what about now i mean you’re always just guessing right i don’t know I mean we’re until you win it all you got to be very self-critical and look for areas where you can improve upon Um we’re this we just finished a draft workout This time year is especially active because of the the draft precludes free agency So it’s really one of the biggest transactional windows we have Um we feel very happy with the core we have We don’t feel like there’s a tremendous pressure to to do much Uh but until you’re you know raising the trophy you got to be um active and creative as possible to try to get to a point where at some point you’re the final team What do you need um we needed I five more wins would have helped Um you know I I think the the the team kind of grew together as it as they got to know each other So I don’t know if there’s um a ton of certain skill sets we need It’s it’s more I think kind of the collective maturity to be able to play different ways and have um you know every night you’re not going to be able to be able to be super productive So how do we win those games kind of in the mud um you know we got a bunch of guys who have these huge roles that are starting to get a little bit um a little bit older So you always want to have people behind them So I think there’s some positions that potentially could be more of need because of how the present roster is set up Julius Nas obviously have options and fields free agent with those three in particular Kind of what’s the thought process with them and what do you expect to possibly happen for you to see here yeah the goal is to keep everybody um and what’s neat is the players are all very happy here They love coaching staff They love the teammates They love the community So when the player wants to be here and a team wants to have him back there’s always room for optimism Certainly these guys have finite windows to to earn a lot of money So um you know we’re we’re very appreciative of what the market might look like but we’re pretty pretty cautious optimistic that we’re in a good place with all the guys and again most importantly they want to be here You’ve talked to talked to you about the second apron kind of the difficulties that they’re in with being a second apron teams Is it safe to say that you guys want to be below that ideally moving forward maybe a first apron team just because of all the roster restrictions that that come with being a single Yeah I think optimally you can dip your toe in but you don’t want to be there too consistently because it just gets so punitive and it’s not just super expensive and we had great ownership this year that was allowed us to spend a lot a lot of money Um but it’s so restrictive with dealm So how can we ensure that we’re as nimble as possible um so I wouldn’t say it’s it’s a steadfast we’re definitely going to be out of it but if we’re going to be in it we’re going to be in it for a good reason Tim you reshaped your roster obviously with the Carl Julius Dante trade but you’ve also kind of reshaped your financial structure all over to to Chris’s point Um you also made the Rudy extension before the season started How did have all those things kind of interplayed to restructure your financial sort of setup yeah I think you know with the relatively new CBA we were like all the teams kind of learning on the fly So some of those deals that were on the books were done prior to the new um the new ratification CBA So we certainly and last year was the first year we kind of try to transact in that second apron and was really challenging So um you we you’re trying to um win and you’re also trying to allow yourself to build sustainable winners So I think all those things were done in unison Um and fingers crossed our ability to be a little more flexible financially could serve us well this offseason How have you seen just the global market of the whole league sort of evolve i mean back when you started managing them is like cap base was a thing Nobody has c space anymore in trades as you’ve met a couple that have been big player for player like how has that changed being a general manager wasn’t about operations i think it’s a great question I I think the one thing that was unexpected and I think largely was the inability for all teams to transact I think um where where we struggle organization we’ve shared this uh we share shared these um these uh issues with the league is it shouldn’t be 30 30 teams are going to be impacted by every you know potential you’re going to be a first apron or second apron you have to do this or that I think it it largely slowed down the offseason last year in in terms of terms of big trades and I do think um look there should be a punishment if you spend over certain amount it’s great because you don’t want these teams to spend into the hills and that not having any ability for some of these smaller market teams to win but um we’ve struggled sometimes you’re down the line with a trade then the impact it has on a team that’s that doesn’t have a big payroll So um we’re learning It’s you know it’s really our second full year kind of um transacting this level Um but I do think perhaps uh for the good league a bit more flexibility across all teams might be helpful Do you think you would have made a trade if you weren’t in the second apron that had those restrictions is that what you’re saying i I wouldn’t say that for certain because that’d be disingenuous but I would say the issue is not just inherent or internal Sometimes you’re you know down the line and then a team that has it’s you know not even a tax team Well that’s going to make us this level team so we can’t do that So um I’m not sure that was the really the spirit of the document and it it is what it is and we’ll all deal with it But um I do think at times it’s a bit overly restrictive Tim do you see the best teams right now seem to have really formed identities and they’re usually centered on their best player Seeing who Ant is and probably who you think he’s going to be for these next few years what do you see as like the best identity of an ANT team moving forward i think competitiveness toughness I know it sounds cheesy and clichéish but that’s who he is Um I think the greatest thing that the compliment give Anthony right now is just how much he’s won at such a young age especially coming into a team that um you know had enjoyed much success in the years prior and get number one overall pick Um two way two-way players certainly Um I think the the strides he made this year for obviously beyond the arc the um I the ability to um more quickly read different defensive situations Um I mean the sky’s is the limit We think he’s be one of the best players of all time Um and we think he’s on that track Um this summer will be even will be even more challenging for him as we raise the bar not just personally but collectively as a team Um but I think with Anthony his ability to play on both ends kind of mandates that you got to play on both ends when when you uh you know you talk about making moves and maybe his biggest moves when Julius decided that he’s going to give it up for the team during the year How how much do you look at that and how much do you try to impact or influence a player like that where you know convincing him what he could be and how the team could be better is a piece of general manager job maybe doesn’t get gets over the book I mean it’s it’s not my job it’s a collective job and we got the best coaches in the league So um the hardest thing these guys are all supremely talented and if given different roles all these guys could score 20 points a game Um if we have 10 11 guys who said here’s the ball score 20 points a game but how do you do that in a winning structure and how do you do that in a way that’s complimentary to the other four guys on the court and what Julius deserves all the credit for is he realized how he can be most impactful to the team success and he really dove into that with his playmaking um with his ability to draw two in the post I thought he was a very underrated isolation defender Um and his overall toughness and positivity So um it’s just a huge testament to him and our coaching staff that they kind of figured out a role that would be most conducive to his personal success and certainly our team success Rob you made obviously an aggressive move last year to get Rob He you know was in and out of the rotation got there late Finch was talking about how there’s a big opportunity in front of him this summer into next season What are you looking for out of him in the offseason to maybe seize a a more of a role next year yeah I mean it’s hard to play when you’re a young player on a good team So we kind of um our team was was different um after we made the Dante and Julius acquisition but you know he’s he was in the gym this morning working on his game I think we have a handful of young guys were pretty convicted are um clearly rotation players and you know how do they go beyond that how do they grow into real core pieces i think Rob’s toughness um his quickness and certainly he does something that not a lot of people do He he can create easy shots for others and himself So it’s going to be huge offseason for him Um it’s not easy to break into our rotation which is a good thing We don’t want to we don’t want to hand guys minutes Uh we want to be a team that’s um difficult to get on the court Um and um I think our young guys are up for the challenge and I think um several of them showed enough this year in the spurts that it’s reason to be pretty encouraged by next season Jim how much uh discussion with Mark and Alex have you had yet about where just where the payroll can land and how that might affect your your summer yeah we’ve talked a lot It’s you know it’s these guys have been in um I think I don’t think Alex makes missed the playoff game So constant conversation about not just that evening’s game but what we look like this summer what we look like two or three years down the line So it’s it’s been fun Um again we’ve been very fortunate to have really good ownership um Glenn and Becky Mark and Alex Um you know we’ve been kind of spoiled but those conversations have been ongoing and certainly um it’ll be fun to really game plan now the season’s over Tim you mentioned wanting to raise the bar internally What do you mean by that uh keep playing You know we want to um it’s it’s a huge accomplishment to be a final four team backto-back years I think we view the ability to be a Final Four team as a real punching chance to win it all Um you know I think the more the more at bats you have the better Um but how can we push back you know we’re the same place this year as last year which is which is great but it’s not where we want to be So um where are these areas we can improve upon where do we shoot ourselves in the foot certainly in the Oklahoma City city series it was turnovers right um so every year I think it’s really important to take a step back and be appreciative of all the good things you did Um and we did way more good than bad but also be honest Okay we to to get to that next level and be a final two team and hopefully the final team Where are the areas that we got to get it better at to that end how how do you balance continuity and thinking this group can maybe get over the humpus and internal improvements versus hey we need to go out and do something Yeah Again I given my you know my brothers I’m always kind of air on the side of continuity I think um patience and professional sports is is largely non-existent Those organizations that can show patience tend to have really high level success Um but you know patience shouldn’t lead to risk aversion You know if there’s something that we have to shake it up and we think he can make us a better team we’re certainly open to that But um I mean if you know we we returned the core of a team last year and we made the the cat and Dante trades So it took us a while I think to get acclimated and we look forward to returning the core next year and hopefully you know get go a bit further without getting into specifics How much have you talked to Julius and Nas and Nas agents and you know where are you on that because it’s kind of also a cat and mouse game with the second apron and where things are in terms of what their Julius and Nas’s position in the market is different than it was three years ago Yeah we talk constantly I mean especially with Nas it’s neat doing this the second time really having the relationship where I can say anything to him He can say anything to me Um you got to be honest with guys We don’t want We’re not trying to win deals We’re trying to build a really good basketball team full of really good guys and and reward them for their their strong play and who they are as uh individuals So those conversations have been constant all extremely positive Again um who knows what’s going to happen but um we’re certain that both sides want the same thing and you know generally those things work out You think the anton the two-way thing around him there probably was some defensive aggression this year Is that did it balance out offensively to an area you’re comfortable with or if you think it needs to get better defensively how do you do so i mean Jen historically if you’re top 10 efficiency in both we were you have a real chance So we were both um you know this year the the the biggest problem was clutch minutes right i mean we were a really really good 46-minute team and we struggled mightily in the clutch So I thought we were a really good defensive team Um you know we weren’t as dominant for consistent periods as we were last year but um if you can find yourself in the top 10 of offensive defensive consistency you can kind of look yourself in the mirror and say “Hey we got a real chance to make a run.” Tim what did you think of the job that Finch did and just kind of from start to finish great I mean Finch is Finch is great Our staff is great I mean someone’s going to smartly hire Mikey as head coach soon Um yeah I think the greatest attribute of Finch is his his ability to um just to he’s seen so much You know you’re coaching the G- League you wake up you have three new players coaching Europe Um so his ability to kind of identify how this group can best play at a high level together is as good as anybody I’ve been around And you know it’s not easy what we’ve tasked him with the last couple years Hey here’s you’re going to change everything Here’s Rudy And then last year coming off a 56 win team here’s two new faces and we’re going to send out um you know Carl who’s you know one of the best players ever played here So it’s just a testament to his intelligence his ability to be um creative and his willingness to you coach any group and put in front of him Tim you guys have 17 and 31 Uh you also already have depth I mean it’s a kind of a rare position to be a conference finals team and have picks and have that depth there How do you see those things all uh playing together of restocking you know young players while also maybe using those picks as assets and trades yeah we’re wide open Um you know if if we can add a clear rotation piece using those picks we’d be all over it Um we’re also very encouraged and excited about the the guys are going to be there We don’t see a lot of separation between 17 and 31 And I think again with a team like ours you saw this year with Shannon Clark and Dillingham in particular um um and Josh where they had moments where they they were productive and played well then there was extended periods where they didn’t have any role Um doesn’t mean we’re any less excited about them So I think we the new the new reality we’re facing financially is you need to always have the covered stock with talented players Um we’re pretty convicted about the type of per person we want here I think we got to I know we have a room full of really really good guys Um so if we draft stay at 17 stay at 31 um you know there’s no expectations that can make an instant impact because we think we have some young guys in the gym right now that can probably a step ahead of them Um but the more good players you have more good guys you have the better you are not just for inseason depth but for flexibility whether it be trades or whatever it may be Tim you talk about the punchers chance thing but we’ve seen the last few years there’s like a difference between capable of making a run and capable of winning the title if OKC wins across last year Does that change the way you view things at all of like okay there’s a clear championship contention and then there are teams that can make conference finals runs that we’ve seen There have been more sneaky wins of those but maybe not as much Not really I would probably disagree respectfully Um I I think there’s years when the teams win championships not the best team You know their number came up the matchups were um favorable or there’s an injury here or there I’m pretty pretty um aligned to if you’re a final four team now we should be we want to be a home court playoff team generally that’s pretty pretty important as well Um you can win a championship Um you know it’s obviously Oklahoma City with 68 wins they’re a great great team and it’s going to be a great finals Um you know the Pacers at some point were 10 and 15 so I don’t know if people view them as a championship level team but they played like a championship team for the last three four months Um so I I think we’re we’re in that conversation but until we win it we can’t be really part of the conversation but I do think we have championship DNA I I know we have um you know championship level players especially highlighted by Ann and our coaching staff is certainly capable of it So um it was hard to say you can do it till you did it but I think we we have a lot there that should allow us to do it Tim it seems like you know just from the outside perception it’s going to be a busy offse a lot of big names could be potentially on the move How does how does maybe some of the the dominoes that might have to fall leaguewide affect where this team falls in that mix yeah it’s funny that plays out Someone asked me that I have our calls have been pretty quiet So maybe it’s just the the offseason is not quite here yet but um yeah I I don’t know I think um kind of to Dane’s earlier question I think the reason that might be more challenging than it was three or four years ago because of these new apron rules Yeah So I don’t think it’s going to be that seamless if these guys making 4550 $55 million be traded Um it certainly not one to one Um but like anything it’s a a players league Great players can determine where they want to play Um and it’ll be interesting to see if those things come to fruition and certainly they’ll be there’ll be ripple effects felt throughout the league You showed off turnovers as an issue the last you did it right around this time last year What can be done with this team to make the turnover issue much less well I think some of it is probably the same answer we had last year Some of it is when you’re that relying on a 22-y old now 23 year old guy to have the ball at the time that there should be some expectations of turnovers Um but I think for us it’s the type of turnovers Um we got in a lot of trouble in the postseason up the court Turnovers led to you know easy baskets essentially pick six interceptions Um so how do we game manage better so I think the turnovers um are part and parcel of some of the issues we had late in clutch situations and that’s just you know it’s it sounds like a copout answer but that’s just wisdom and seeing more basketball So I think some of it will come with just natural maturation specifically of a and Jaden Do you ride Ant and let him mature or do you bring in somebody like a Mike only maybe younger who can help with that load uh we’re either going to win or lose with Ant uh it doesn’t mean we we’re not always trying to look for complimentary skill sets that can help him reach his you know uh what he think what we think he can be but um we’re either going to win a championship or or not get there on the backs of Anthony and the greatest thing is he embraces that responsibility um he’s such a positive teammate um obviously supremely talented but um I think there’s nobody nobody in the league that we’re that um that we could choose that is more ready for that level of responsibility Tim how do you feel about your point guard situation right now feel good Yeah I think um obviously Mike’s getting a little bit older I thought Nquille gave us really good minutes Um I thought Rob when he was given the opportunity was pretty impressive with his ability to create easy opportunities easy baskets Um it was fun to see some of the young guys this year We’re not always the uh despite having some really young young legs in the starting lineup We’re not always the best f break team It was fun to see some of these young guys inject some um a little more um a little more fast break basketball Um but you’re always trying to get better you know I think um when you have you’re lucky enough to have a guy as good as Anthony you got to constantly challenge yourself Every position’s got to constantly be up for um evaluation How much does Julius’s situation affect Nas and vice versa nause indicated to us that he felt like he maybe was ready for his starting role at Julius Ops and is there a pathway for both of these guys to remain on the roster next year yeah again it’s I would tell you if I was optimistic even if I was lying to you but we’re pretty optimistic Um th those guys those guys are really really good players who play really well together Uh they really like the coaching staff I mean Nas is a cult hero here uh for good reason So um you know we we have nothing but positive indicators that both these guys will be in Wolves jerseys next season You mentioned Jaden a little bit ago Just with how he played in the playoffs and closing the season Is there a bigger expectation in his role next season yeah not just the playoffs I thought when we were banged up in the middle of the season I mean you saw the guy that um was we joke I’m always on about rebounding and he started rebounding this year and now we joke it was just that simple just to yell at you to rebound more Um I I think the sky’s is the limit I I think he’s one of the best young players in the NBA His mid-range game is unbelievably underappreciated His ability to get shots Um obviously his last two year the his numbers in the playoffs are reflective of a guy that’s not scared of the moment and defensively there’s not a better young defensive wing in the NBA So um he he’s you know he he’s going to be he’s already really really good but we think he has a chance to be great And you mentioned uh Rob and TJ get drafted before you make the Julius Dante trade How complicated you know was that i’m sure you had a different vision for those guys with a different roster How How do you navigate that over i mean we we had these we do we have a planning meeting right now We plan and then you get a call and the plans are out the window So it’s you know I I think the best plan is to to have a pretty good lay of the land and and when you have an opportunity to be aggressive be aggressive But the team is constantly evolving I mean I’m so proud of I was text talking to Kil the other day So proud of his development right when he we got him a couple years ago I don’t think any of you guys asked questions about him Maybe someone did I don’t know Um and now you know there’s he’s one of the uh really elite two-way guards in the league Um so the one certainty is the uncertainty but I I I’m pretty um um I’m pretty um into the idea of just having as many good guys as many good players And you know the the eight or nine guys or nine or 10 guys a coach wants to play are there Then certainly a depth with injuries I thought and Jaden made that big jump because we were down a couple guys but um I I don’t think you can be too dogmatic with roster building because you get a call and it changes dramatically Um so and again I think the more good players you have the the more good problems you have Would you think when you get a a veteran you know when you when you’ve had success like this there are veterans that will look at it and say “There’s my chance to play for a ring I can go with Anthony Edwards and assume a role and I don’t need the maximum amount of money Do you anticipate getting calls?” We’d love to get those calls Yeah Put the word out Any good veterans out there would like minimum contracts uh I know I Yeah Certainly what what is neat the last couple years um is we’ve had conversations um that have you know that have we’ve unsolicited conversations the guys that want to come play here and that’s that’s to a that’s to Finch that’s for Jaden and Rudy and Mike it’s it’s a testament to this not just the players but the market I think the guys who are here now have have all been um just shocked how much they enjoy living here and how much they enjoy raising kids here um so yeah we we’re probably in conversations now that we couldn’t have had two or three years ago Tim the you guys and the Knicks both made the conference finals Just like looking at that trade in totality just how do you kind of evaluate it almost a year out from from making it and how it worked out for Yeah I think it was a win-win I mean it’s it’s funny I I I text with Cat I probably get more emotional watching their games than our games because it’s uh you know Cat had such a great playoffs and such a great great year in New York Um but I I I’m not a like I don’t I’m not a believer in there’s one winner and 29 losers I think too often that’s the narrative that we all run with Um I told that to our team after the game Um the Knicks had a best year they’ve had in 25 years Um so it was really fun to watch You know obviously um it’s just fun to watch a great guy do really well Um and I think if you’d asked either front office last year hey worst case scenario you’re going to lose in the conference finals I think um you know we’d have probably taken it even though we both have higher aspirations But it was fun to watch It was fun to see all the guys in the trade do well and they’re all really really good guys

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