Op-Ed: Pistons President of Basketball Operations Wish List
The Detroit Pistons are in search of a president of basketball operations, and their wish list is starting to leak. At the top of the names, according to NBA experts and journalists James L. Edwards III and Shams Charania of The Athletic, is Minnesota Timberwolves head executive Tim Connelly. Connelly is expected to not renew his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves after this season, but it’s largely believed he plans to stay with the franchise. That could change, though.
Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Wish List
It’s going to take a lot of money to peel Tim Connelly away from the Wolves. According to the aforementioned article, a deal with the Detroit Pistons that pays him approximately $15 million per season could convince him to come to the Motor City. Connelly has been making the rounds as of late, as the Timberwolves “stole” him from the Denver Nuggets in 2022. He has an opt-out this offseason, which he’s expected to take. That would free him up to go anywhere, including the Pistons. The Pistons were also very interested in Jon Horst of the Milwaukee Bucks, but the Bucks denied permission for the Pistons to interview Horst.
I’ve been playing close attention to the Timberwolves in this year’s NBA playoffs. It was thrilling to see them take down Denver in the beginning of their series with the Nuggets, since I always root for the underdogs. Their latest performances haven’t been as strong, but you can’t deny the strength of this team. How much does Connelly have to do with that? It’s difficult to say, since he’s only been with the team since 2022. But, he was with the Nuggets prior, which is also a winning team in today’s NBA, so this guy obviously knows his stuff.
When the Pistons first announced this search for a president of basketball operations, I immediately said that we have to get someone who’s currently with a winning team. Sorry, but I’m not interested in some of these guys who have been out of the business for years or, worse, have some legacy tie to the Pistons. It’s not the ’80s. We need new blood and someone who knows and is successful with what the NBA is today, in 2024. The Athletic also reports that other candidates of interest are Trajan Langdon from the New Orleans Pelicans, Dennis Lindsey from the Dallas Mavericks, and Marc Eversley from the Chicago Bulls. Of those names, I’d take Lindsey, because the Mavericks are hot right now. Please don’t go with the Bulls guy, Pistons decisionmakers. It’s not the Michael Jordan era. Contact me with your thoughts on the new Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations. Go Pistons.
