Since late March, coach Chris Finch has said the Timberwolves' ownership dispute hasn't much affected the team at "troop level."
That trouble started when owner Glen Taylor said a deal for Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore to gain majority ownership of the team had fallen through, something with which the two prospective buyers disagreed.
Finch, after the season ended Thursday with a playoff ouster at the hands of Dallas, said the team's postseason run might have given all sides a respite from the contentious issue that is still to play out in arbitration over the next few months.
In fact, if there was one thing that Taylor, Lore and Rodriguez all could agree on, it was to support the team and keep their feud out of the public light. The battle had taken several turns late in the season with on-the-record interviews, then leaked stories that likely came from one camp or another to paint the other in a negative light.
"They've been nothing but supportive with us," Finch said. "In many ways, this run that we've been on has pushed all of that to the background, and they've been 100 percent committed to the team, the team's efforts and enjoying the success.
"That stuff will be what it will be. They've all pledged that no matter how it shakes out, that they're going to give us every opportunity to be successful and continue to build, build a winner and a champion and all the things that we're all trying to do together."
So as the Wolves head into the offseason, all sides of ownership can agree, no matter who is forking over the majority of the payroll and impending luxury tax, that they want to keep this team as contenders — even if it means writing large checks to do so.
The Wolves are likely to zoom past the so-called "second apron" of $190 million, and that carries significant tax penalties and potential roster-building restrictions. But the Wolves feel good about the depth they have already locked in — seven of their rotation players from the playoffs are under contract, the lone exception being Kyle Anderson.
"I trust whatever happens will be the right path," President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly said. "But during this last several weeks, to see everyone in ownership, not just the main but some of the minority owners ... it's been a really fun ride, and it's been really fun to see those people who put so much time, effort and money into this enjoy a postseason run."
There are five teams above the "second apron" this season, including the Boston Celtics.
Taylor has said he is greatly enjoying the team's success, and it's hard to imagine he wouldn't want to pay the luxury tax, at least for a season, when the team has its best chance of winning a championship in 20 years.
The 83-year-old billionaire (who also owns the Star Tribune) would lose favor in the court of public opinion if he chose not to pay the luxury tax. He said one reason for not giving majority control to Rodriguez and Lore was the ascending value of the team, and the chance to make more money on his remaining shares. It would look disingenuous if Taylor held onto an asset that was making him significantly more money and did not reinvest in the team when it has a chance to win a title.
As for Lore and Rodriguez, an ESPN report came out in April that said they submitted a budget proposal that comes in just under the luxury tax threshold. It seemed that report was leaked to scare the fan base into thinking that a Lore-Rodriguez ownership would tear down the team after a successful season all in the name of saving money.
But Lore told this to the Star Tribune in a joint interview with Rodriguez on March 29, days before that ESPN report emerged: "I've never been in better financial position. Way better now than I was 2½ years ago when we did this deal. … I'm flush with cash. I've got literally hundreds of millions of dollars in the bank, ready to invest in the Wolves and bring home a championship. We're never in a better spot."
So, if all partners — Taylor says Rodriguez and Lore own 36% of the team — have the common goal of running it back for a championship no matter the cost, what will the team look like next season?
A lot of that revolves around Karl-Anthony Towns, who had an up-and-down postseason. Up because of how he helped the Wolves win the first two playoff series by guarding Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokic, and also how he saved a struggling Wolves team for a large portion of Game 7 in the Denver series. And down because Towns (along with Anthony Edwards) was ineffective in the first three games of the Western Conference finals against Dallas.
The dialogue around Towns became louder with each game he struggled, especially because the analysts on TNT's "Inside the NBA," which broadcast the Western Conference finals, have never been big fans of Towns' game. But the Wolves would not have been one of the final four teams standing if not for Towns, a fact underscored by Connelly and Finch on Friday.
"Karl was brilliant for most of the playoffs," Connelly said. "He had some tough shooting nights in this last series, but that didn't dictate his intensity or his ability to do other things. We're not here without Karl. The maturity that Karl showed in the playoffs, I thought, was one of the greatest things that we all saw."
Added Finch: "100 percent believe that KAT can help take us to where we're ultimately trying to go."
Connelly built Denver into a title contender based on patience and not overreacting to the knee-jerk reactions of analysts or fans who said he should've jolted the Nuggets core for years before they coalesced into a title winner. Connelly thinks he sees a contender in Minnesota, so don't expect any earth-shattering moves — as long as ownership is willing to pay the bills to keep everyone together one more year.
