Scoggins: Buckle up, Wolves fans, it’s going to be a very telling offseason

Tim Connelly is a soft-spoken, likable gentleman who seems incapable of purposeful deceit. But when the Timberwolves president of basketball operations discusses roster management, I often wish that comic quote bubbles were a real thing and not imaginary.

Just to know what he has up his sleeve.

Connelly is a human stealth bomber. You don’t see or hear any rumblings of something major happening, and then boom, he pulls off a seismic trade that shakes the NBA.

First, he acquired Rudy Gobert for a bounty of assets.

Then, he parted with Karl-Anthony Towns in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

And next?

“Patience in professional sports is largely nonexistent,” Connelly said Monday at his season wrap-up session with reporters. “Those organizations that can show patience tend to have a really high level of success. But patience shouldn’t lead to risk aversion.”

Connelly bathes in risk.

Daring moves will be labeled either aggressive or reckless based upon their outcomes, and Connelly has landed on the right side by virtue of back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference finals. His roster shakeups helped transform the Wolves into a contending team.

Now comes the next debate for him to consider and answer correctly: Is the team’s core as currently constructed on the cusp of a championship breakthrough, or is another dramatic change necessary to take that final step?

“You’re always just guessing, right?” Connelly said. “Until you win it all, you gotta be very self-critical and look for areas where you can improve upon. We feel very happy with the core we have. We don’t feel like there’s tremendous pressure to do much. But until you’re raising the trophy, you’ve got to be active and as creative as possible to get to the point where you’re the final team.”

So he’ll either choose continuity, or light another stick of dynamite.

The organization finds itself in an attractive but tricky area. Many teams would be thrilled to be one of the final four teams left playing in consecutive seasons. By that designation, the Wolves are one of the NBA’s truly elite teams.

But they crave more. They expect more. Connelly mentioned his intention to “raise the bar” collectively and for individual players.

The Oklahoma City Thunder raised the bar this season, too, and might hoist a trophy this month. They ousted the Wolves rather decisively and are building a nucleus for the long haul. The Western Conference is loaded with teams trying to ascend from good to great to champion.

“We view the ability to be a final four team as a real puncher’s chance to win it all,” Connelly said. “But how can we push back? We’re the same place this year as last year. Which is great, but it’s not where we want to be.”

Connelly delivered one of my favorite quotes from a sports executive in this market last June after trading up in the draft to select point guard Rob Dillingham at No. 8 overall.

“We’re at the big table,” he said that night, “so it’s not time to get scared now.”

Smart but not scared is a winner’s compass.

It’s fair to expect the roster to look different next season. How different, we’ll soon find out.

My prediction is that Connelly looks to upgrade at point guard. Mike Conley is in the final stage of his career. Dillingham is at the beginning. The rookie is blessed with some special traits, specifically his speed, but he’s still largely unknown on a team that views itself as a championship contender. A proven, experienced point guard could be that missing piece.

Connelly mentioned already having held planning meetings for the future since season’s end. He also noted that plans are only as solid as the next phone call from a GM proposing an attractive trade.

“I think the best plan is to have a pretty good lay of the land,” he said, “and when you have an opportunity to be aggressive, be aggressive. I don’t think you can be too dogmatic with roster building because you get a call, it changes dramatically. And again, the more good players you have, the more good problems you have.”

In other words: Buckle up, Wolves fans.