Northwest Notes: Connelly, Wolves, Lloyd, Gonzalez, Jazz

The Timberwolves have registered curiosity in extending the contract of president basketball operations Tim Connellyleague sources inform Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Scotto reported final week that Minnesota hoped to signal Connelly to a brand new deal. His present contract will expire in 2027.

Connelly, a longtime Nuggets government, was employed by the Timberwolves in 2022. Minnesota has made the Western Conference finals every of the previous two years and superior to the second spherical of this 12 months’s playoffs final week when it eradicated Denver for the second time in three seasons.

Here’s extra from across the Northwest:

• Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch congratulated Bryson Graham — his former colleague in New Orleans — for touchdown the Bulls‘head of operations job, however admits he was pulling for Wolves GM Matt Lloyd by Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link). “Congratulations to Bryson Graham“Finch said.”I labored with Bryson in New Orleans for numerous years. He’s a category act and an impressive expertise evaluator. I’m positive he will likely be an incredible decide for the Bulls. … Gunning for Matt. He’s among the finest executives I’ve ever labored with wherever I’ve been. He’s an absolute rock star in the case of that, from working processes to connecting with folks within the constructing, to positivity to management, to with the ability to handle up and down. It’s solely a matter of time till he will get his probability, I’m satisfied of it. These are actually exhausting jobs to get, extremely coveted. Lots of issues go into them. We’re lucky to have him right here and he is been an enormous a part of our success.”
• The Jazz plan so as to add Ben Gonzalez to their entrance workplace, in response to Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 (Twitter link). Gonzalez is at the moment the director of basketball operations on the University of Georgia.
• Regardless of the place their decide lands in subsequent week’s draft lottery, Jazz followers have one thing to look ahead to subsequent season, for the reason that workforce will now not be prioritizing draft positioning, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News.