NBA Rumors: Nuggets' Tim Connelly Targeted to Replace Wizards' Ernie Grunfeld

The Washington Wizards reportedly have their eye on the Denver Nuggets as they search for their next team president.

On Tuesday, Fred Katz of The Athletic cited league sources who said Washington has identified Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly as a candidate to replace Ernie Grunfeld. This comes after the Wizards announced Grunfeld was fired as the president.

Senior vice president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard is serving as the interim president for the Wizards as they search for a replacement.

Katz noted Connelly has a connection with the Wizards organization and actually started his NBA career as an intern with the team in 1996. Washington then hired him as a video coordinator in 1999, and he is still friends with Sheppard from his tenure with the club.

While the Wizards are interested, the Nuggets announced they signed Connelly and general manager Arturas Karnisovas to contract extensions in February.

"But previous similar situations with coaches or executives have shown that when there's a will there's a way, whether that means an amicable split or compensation going the way of the organization losing talent," Katz wrote of the contract situation.

Washington is 32-46 and will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Chairman Ted Leonsis said in the Grunfeld announcement, "We did not meet our stated goals of qualifying for the playoffs this season and, despite playing with injuries to several key players, we have a culture of accountability and a responsibility of managing to positive outcomes."

Denver stands in stark contrast to that situation with a 51-26 record, which is good enough for second place in the Western Conference.

Connelly came to the Nuggets prior to the 2013-14 season, and this will be the fourth straight campaign they improve their win total from the prior season.

The Wizards have seen a decrease in wins totals in each of the last two years.