The NBA Board of Governors officially approved Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore's purchase of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Back in 2021, Rodriguez and Lore purchased the Wolves from Glen Taylor in a three-part sale. The sale dragged on due to a dispute with Taylor.
After the sale was finalized, A-Rod and Lore made several comments that should delight Wolves fans during an interview with The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski. Perhaps the most important comment was that they are committed to keeping the team in Minnesota and continuing to build a title contender.
“In the start-up world, I’ve always been driven by the mission, not the money,” Lore said. “And mercenaries are driven by money. And I think anybody who would even contemplate moving the team is clearly a mercenary. The only reason would be for money, right? And that’s just not us.”
“We love the idea of Minnesota history and playing a part in that history,” Lore said. “To move it and start over would be devastating to not only the community and the fans, but us as well. It’s not consistent with our value system.”
With the need for a new arena, some feared that new ownership would consider relocating the franchise from Minnesota, despite its recent success. However, fans can rest assured that Rodriguez and Lore are committed to Minnesota.
Rodriguez and Lore have a clear vision
While the new ownership is committed to staying in Minnesota, Lore discussed the plan for a new arena. Notably, Target Center is the second oldest arena and is the only arena with more seats in the upper deck than the lower bowl.
“We know we want to create a best-in-class arena with separation from the second-best, like really set a new standard,” Lore said. “It’s going to take a lot of work, a lot of thinking on how to innovate with this new arena in a way that no other team has done before us. And that’s something that’s going to take many years. It’s not something that is going to happen in the next few years.”
As the Wolves turn into a perennial title contender, it's only fitting they have a state-of-the-art arena. However, as Lore mentions, this will be a long-term project. Having a brand new arena will generate some extra revenue for the franchise and give fans something to be excited about. It could also come with benefits such as hosting All-Star weekend, which Minnesota hasn't done since 1994. Overall, this interest in building a new arena highlights the ownership's vision and commitment to the franchise.
Lore and Rodriguez also mentioned their vision to build a sustainable winning culture.
“We’re thinking about creating a sustainable culture of winning over the long period, but when we see a time to strike where we think we’re in striking distance of going all the way, then we’re going to lean into that,” Lore said.
“I think we have to be able to kind of read the room and that’s why we have Tim Connelly and lean on him,” Rodriguez said. “We’ll be ready to strike when the time is right. But at the same time we want to be disciplined because with that discipline you get kind of what Oklahoma City has, which is this sustainable model, which we’re doing in the early days of that for us.”
Trusting general manager Tim Connelly is a wise move, as he has proven to be one of the league's best executives. Similarly, trying to replicate the Oklahoma City model is a logical decision. Furthermore, Rodriguez mentioned they are leaving the basketball decisions to Connelly.
These quotes also reflect a commitment to an impressive core and building a title-winning squad. The Timberwolves are likely to go into the second apron to re-sign Julius Randle and Naz Reid this offseason. Luckily, ownership appears comfortable doing so. Ultimately, Timberwolves fans should be thrilled that this new era has officially begun.