The former MLB star and current ESPN analyst is nearing a deal to own the Timberwolves.
Does he have enough power to change the franchise around?
The following written content via the staff at Sports Illustrated
Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, the former president and CEO of Walmart U.S. eCommerce, are nearing a deal to become the next owners of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The two would serve as limited partners for the next two and a half years before taking control of the team if a deal were to get done. Current owner Glen Taylor would serve as a mentor for the two new owners. The deal would also include Taylor’s WNBA team, the Minnesota Lynx, according to the Star Tribune, with an agreement to keep both teams in Minnesota.
Is this a good move? The Crossover staff reacts to the news.
Michael Pina
The Timberwolves were arguably the NBA’s worst team when Glen Taylor purchased them in 1994, and they were arguably the NBA’s worst team on the day he agreed to sell them to an ownership group headlined by Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore. In between, zero organizations that existed at the time have had a lower winning percentage or a worse defense. Change is good, but the sale should be met with cautious optimism.
Taylor told the newspaper he owns that there will be language in his contract with Rodriguez and Lore that prohibits them from moving the Timberwolves to another market, though that’s not likely to be ironclad and must be approved by the league. But if you’re a Timberwolves fan who’s suffered through several eras marred by ineptitude, a new face or two at the top is a very good thing. For a little while, at least.
The ideal scenario for everyone who loves the NBA would have been for Kevin Garnett to become the face of Minnesota’s next ownership group. Imagine KG at draft workouts, giving press conferences, involving himself in trades and reinserting himself as an iconic character in the NBA’s narrative. He’s forever connected to that team—which hasn’t won a playoff series since Garnett’s MVP season in 2004—and the Timberwolves might not be there today had the Hall of Famer spent most of his prime elsewhere. Read more from Sports Illustrated.
