Timberwolves Make Pitch for LeBron James
Since entering the NBA in 1989, the Minnesota Timberwolves have never won an NBA Championship.
But after several years of strong performances in the postseason, the team feels that it's close to finally breaking through, and they are hoping LeBron James joins Minnesota on its quest to end their long drought.
With NBA superstar Anthony Edwards running the show in Minnesota, along with a supporting cast featuring newly acquired LaMelo Ball, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, and Ayo Dosunmu, the Timberwolves truly believe they have a chance to win the NBA Championship next year, and they hope that James is part of it.
Tim Connelly Badly Wants LeBron James in Minnesota
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly made it clear that he wants James in Minnesota this coming season.
"I like who we are and we're pretty proud of who we are. Hopefully that's appealing, not just to LeBron, but to any free agent," Connelly told The Athletic.
Connelly is not stupid. He knows that James is the biggest free agent on the market and that nearly every contender in the league is chasing after him. But he believes that the Timberwolves' strong roster should strongly appeal to the 41-year-old James, who is looking to win his fifth NBA Championship.
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"The recruitment is just this team. Obviously, he's an unbelievable player. Whatever decision he makes is going to be the right one. There's a lot going on. When you're as great as he is, you should have optionality. When you look at our team, it's hard not to be excited about what we have," Connelly said.
"We have the best coach. We have amazing fans," Connelly said. "In the last couple years, our success has been as good as anybody - outside of the guys who've won it all. Not just speaking to LeBron, but to any free agent, this is a place you're going to have a lot of fun and win a lot of games."
Again, every contender in the NBA is making its best pitch to James right now as he makes his final decision where to go and play his 24th NBA season. But Minnesota truly believes they are in the mix to land the GOAT.
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LeBron James Would Have to Take a Pay Cut in Minnesota
Should James want to join the Timberwolves, then he will have to take a pay cut, as Minnesota is only a few million dollars underneath the punitive and restrictive second apron. But it just so happens that Minnesota has enough money to offer James a veteran's minimum deal to join the team, so it's feasible that he could be signed.
James obviously has a ton of options, as he's been connected to just about every title contender under the sun. But the Timberwolves are an excellent young team on the rise, and they do have a very real chance of winning it all, especially since they have a true NBA superstar in Edwards in his prime. So it wouldn't be completely crazy if James joined them.
I still think that the Cleveland Cavaliers are the favorites at the moment, with the Golden State Warriors right behind them. But the Timberwolves certainly have a compelling argument, and Connelly is going to keep trying to pitch James and his agent, Rich Paul, for as long as he can.
"We're trying to change the narrative of how this organization is viewed. We're kind of proud of who we are, and certainly, wherever LeBron ends up, he's going to make that place much, much better. But it's hard not to look at LaMelo and Jaden and Rudy and Ant and Josh (Green). We saw what (Terrence Shannon Jr.) did in the postseason," Connelly said.
We will likely find out in the next week or so where James is going, as he needs to make his decision so that whatever team he joins can fill out the rest of its roster.
Minnesota isn't the frontrunner. But they are certainly under consideration, and there are many reasons why James would make a good decision to go to Minnesota and help the Timberwolves win their first NBA Championship.
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