Denver Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, architect of one of the NBA’s most impressive rebuilds, has agreed to a contract extension, league sources told ESPN.
Connelly’s contract could’ve expired at season’s end, but discussions with Nuggets president Josh Kroenke had been ongoing in recent weeks and culminated with a new deal, league sources said.
After a steady, deliberate rebuild since taking over in the spring of 2013, Connelly has Denver on the cusp of a return to the playoffs — and a high playoff seed in the Western Conference looming this spring. The Nuggets are 39-18, two games behind the Golden State Warriors. Nuggets coach Michael Malone — who signed an extension in the preseason — is a head coach in Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game.
Connelly, Kroenke and GM Arturas Karnisovas have constructed an infrastructure of young talent that has the Nuggets framed for sustainable success in the Western Conference. The drafting and development of All-Star forward Nikola Jokic, guards Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Malik Beasley have been key parts of the franchise’s renaissance.
Connelly drafted Jokic with the 41st pick in the 2014 NBA draft, a move that turned into one of the decade’s most impactful selections. Jokic signed a five-year, $148 million contract extension last summer.
Connelly joined the Nuggets as GM in 2013, after leaving the New Orleans Pelicans where he had been an assistant GM. The Nuggets promoted him to executive VP of Basketball Operations in 2017, while also promoting Karnisovas into the GM title. Connelly had also worked in player personnel with the Washington Wizards.
Source : ESPN
