Chris Finch, Wolves Agree to Rumored 4-Year Contract Extension After NBA Playoff Run

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVJune 24, 2024

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Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch just led his team to the Western Conference Finals and was rewarded for it Monday.

The Timberwolves announced they agreed to a contract extension with their head coach, which ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported was for four years and will keep him in place through the 2027-28 campaign.

“I’m proud of the way we’ve been able to establish a great culture here with the Timberwolves and I look forward to continuing to lead this organization and make our fans proud,” Finch said in the announcement.

The contract extension doesn’t come as much of a surprise considering Finch has generally found success since taking over the head coaching role during the 2020-21 season after the Timberwolves fired Ryan Saunders.

Finch is 160-127 and led Minnesota to the playoffs in each of his three full seasons.

While the first two playoff appearances ended in disappointing first-round exits, the team turned the corner this past season. It swept the star-studded Phoenix Suns with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in the first round and then stunned the reigning-champion Denver Nuggets in the second.

The series against the Nuggets was arguably the best one of the playoffs, as the Timberwolves won the first two games, lost the next three and then won the final two. The decisive Game 7 was on the road, but that didn’t stop Finch’s team from pulling off the impressive victory.

Unfortunately for Minnesota, the magic ran out in the Western Conference Finals against Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks.

Still, the future is bright for the Timberwolves with 22-year-old Anthony Edwards leading the way. The swingman looked like one of the faces of the league during the postseason run and figures to only improve with more experience.

Having that experience come with the continuity of keeping the same head coach in Finch should lead to even more improvement and perhaps an appearance in the NBA Finals during the length of this contract extension.