UPDATE: It turns out the interest in buying the Timberwolves that is held by Kevin Garnett and a group of investors is more than exploratory. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, that group plans to submit a bid to purchase the team from current owner Glen Taylor.
Kevin Garnett and his group are preparing a bid to submit to Glen Taylor to purchase the Timberwolves, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. https://t.co/uYvqYOzMKz
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 21, 2020
EARLIER: Some huge news came out of Minnesota on Tuesday afternoon. According to a report by Sportico, Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is exploring selling the team. Taylor has been the organization’s majority owner since 1994, and while the Wolves have had plenty of success under his ownership, there have been plenty of bumps in the road. Most notably, the team has made the playoffs once in the last 16 seasons, and there has been plenty of bad blood between Taylor and the most beloved player in franchise history, Kevin Garnett.
As it turns out, Garnett is motivated to expedite the process of Taylor selling the team. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Garnett is a member of a group of investors that are interested in exploring a bid for the Timberwolves.
NBA/Timberwolves legend Kevin Garnett and a group of investors are seriously interested in and exploring bid for Minnesota T’Wolves from Glen Taylor, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 21, 2020
Of course, it would be really cool to see Garnett — who has said he does not want his jersey retired by the team while Taylor is its owner — in this role, but things are still rather early in the process. There is, however, some amount of momentum towards a move, as Taylor told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic that there’s more than just Garnett’s group involved right now.
Owner Glen Taylor told @JonKrawczynski today that several potential ownership groups have expressed interest in purchasing the Timberwolves and that he is seriously considering all options. https://t.co/uYvqYOzMKz
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 21, 2020
Taylor is, per Krawczynski, steadfast in one thing: Whomever takes over the Timberwolves has to keep them in Minneapolis, and negotiations aren’t going to make it very far if a potential buyer wants to move the squad.
Glen Taylor to @TheAthleticMIN on potential Wolves sale:
"People have inquired who are interested but they want to move the team. They are not a candidate. We’ve made that very clear."
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) July 21, 2020
Basketball has been taken from the city in the past — the Los Angeles Lakers spent 12 years in Minneapolis before moving out west — and it’s good that Taylor doesn’t want that to happen again. Now, all eyes are on whether the potential ownership group that wins out will be the one that features Garnett or someone else.
