The Washington Wizards have offered Denver Nuggets president Tim Connelly their top front office job, according to The Athletic, after a meeting with Connelly at their practice facility Friday.
The job the Wizards are offering is presumably for the role of team president, ceded by Ernie Grunfeld, who was fired on April 2 after 16 years on the job.
Sources with @davidaldridgedc @fredkatz: The Washington Wizards are offering their head front-office job to Denver Nuggets president Tim Connelly. Connelly toured Wizards' practice facility today in meeting.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 17, 2019Chris Mannix of SI reports the Wizards made Connelly a four-year offer, one year shy of what he was seeking, although it is believed to be in his desired pay range.
"Although Washington's is the only job that would tempt him to leave Denver — a fact known by team president Josh Kroenke — a person close to Connelly speculated he would not leave for a deal lower than $4 million annually for five years," Candace Buckner reported before the meeting Friday morning.
The Wizards presented Tim Connelly with a four-year contract offer that is believed to be in the neighborhood financially of what he was looking for, sources tell @SInow. Connelly wanted five years—but is strongly considering the offer.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) May 17, 2019The Nuggets, eliminated from the second round of the NBA Playoffs on Sunday, granted the Wizards permission to speak with Connelly this week.
Confirming the Wizards have been granted permission to discuss franchise's President of Basketball Operations job with Nuggets President Tim Connelly, per source. @wojespn first, of course.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) May 17, 2019UPDATE (6:45 p.m.)
As Buckner reports, the Wizards are indeed offering Connelly the title of president of basketball operations.
Connelly, a Baltimore native, got his start in the NBA with the Wizards, first hired as a basketball operations intern in 1996 before taking a full-time job as an assistant video coordinator with the team. From there, Connelly became a scout and was eventually promoted to director of player personnel. He departed for a front office job with the New Orleans Hornets in 2010.
He was named executive VP of basketball operations for the Nuggets in June 2013 and was promoted to president of basketball ops. in June 2017.
In the six seasons since he took over, the Nuggets have risen from cellar dwellers to the top of the heap in the Northwest division, winning it with 54 wins in 2018-19. The Nuggets, in their first playoff appearance in six years, eliminated the Spurs in seven games in the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. They were knocked out by the Blazers in the second round.
