NBA Daily Plays Tuesday 5/7

Marc Lore has made it a priority to sign Tim Connelly to a contract extension once he assumes full control of the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources tell ESPN. Lore and Alex Rodriguez have yet to gain control of the Wolves despite an arbitration ruling in their favor over Glen Taylor.

Connelly agreed to an amendment in his contract last year that pushed his opt-out to this offseason. The Wolves signed Connelly away from the Denver Nuggets in May 2022 on a five-year, $40 million deal. Connelly quickly moved forward with a trade for Rudy Gobert in his first offseason with the team.

If Connelly were to hit the open market, he would figure to receive considerable outside interest given his role in building the eventual champion Nuggets while also constructing a Wolves’ roster that reached the Western Conference Finals.

Gersson Rosas and then Sachin Gupta were the two previous lead decision-makers for the Wolves before Connelly’s tenure.