See
more of the story
Unpacking exactly what transpired to scuttle the completion of the sale of the Timberwolves from Glen Taylor to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez might take a while, and could be a matter for lawyers.
What we are left with for now is a messy drama by which both sides have conflicting viewpoints and seem keen on winning the battle of public opinion.
A New York Post story on what went wrong with the deal suggests that Lore wanted Rodriguez to pony up more money in this round of financing, and that A-Rod came up short. Lore, meanwhile, has reportedly been spending a lot of time on another high-profile venture — a start-up gourmet food delivery company called Wonder.
Whether Lore and Rodriguez remain invested in the Wolves or eventually sell what Taylor says is a 36% stake — assuming any challenges they make in court don't hold up — remains to be seen.
Of prime interest to Wolves fans right now — secondary, still, to a team that is 50-22 and preparing for a huge game Friday against Denver — is what this all means for the future of the franchise.
To that end, a Taylor quote to the Star Tribune's Patrick Reusse was quite interesting. I talked about it on Friday's Daily Delivery podcast.
The Wolves have increased in value since the original sale was announced at $1.5 billion in 2021.
Said Taylor during a February interview with Reusse that was first published Thursday as all this was unfolding: "We could've gotten more — we could've gotten $2.5 billion paid upfront — but that person was going to try to move the team to Las Vegas."
That was the fear of Wolves fans when a sale was first being discussed. It remained part of the discussion after the sale was announced, even as Lore and A-Rod gave assurances that they intended to keep the team in Minnesota.
Conventional wisdom back then suggested the NBA would rather have an expansion team in Las Vegas than a relocated franchise, and that sentiment has grown stronger as the league gets closer to a point where expansion could be on the table.
But it's interesting — and not pleasant for Wolves fans — to think about what might have happened if Taylor, who also owns the Star Tribune, had simply sold to the highest bidder regardless of their intentions.
Here are four more things to know today:
*Why can't the Twins have nice things? Yes, they won their opener 4-1 on Thursday. Of course we should celebrate another strong outing from Pablo Lopez and three hits from Carlos Correa. But Royce Lewis departing with an injury in Game 1 of 162 leaves a cloud hanging over the whole thing.
*Jaxon Nelson saved the Gophers men's hockey team on Thursday with two third-period goals in their NCAA opener. It was a clutch performance that leaves them one game from a third straight Frozen Four.
*The Gophers football team landed a quarterback recruit and flipped another recruit from Wisconsin. Not a bad days' work for P.J. Fleck.
*The Wild won, but time is running out.
