Recent reports of the would-be sale of the Minnesota Timberwolves quickly sparked the attention of former franchise legend Kevin Garnett, who noted he was among the bidders to acquire the NBA team.
The current owner, Glen Taylor, is seeking a $1.2 billion sum (short of the $1.4 million franchise valuation) and insisting the franchise stay in Minnesota.
Garnett would be glad to keep the Timberwolves in The Twin Cities, but the prospect of owning the franchise he once called his is the type of poetic justice he's deserved for quite a while.
There hasn't been a more grim moment in Timberwolves history than what they suffered nearly 13 years ago. Garnett was traded to the Boston Celtics on July 31, 2007 after 12 seasons with the team, ending an era that hasn't been matched since.
Garnett returned to the Timberwolves at the tail end of his career to play for his former coach Flip Saunders. The plan was for Garnett to ascend to the front office after his playing career.
After Saunders died in 2015, Garnett said Taylor backed out of the proposed deal:
“At this point, I don’t want any dealings with Glen Taylor or Taylor Corp. or anything that has to do with him,” Garnett said back in April. “I’ll always have a special place for the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota in my heart. But I don’t do business with snakes.”
He's had to walk back those words recently, as his group is one of the outside bidders looking to take control of the franchise.
The Wilf family, owners of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League, have emerged as the frontrunner to take over the Timberwolves, even if the sale might not happen until September.
Garnett and his group will have to bid aggressively to out bid a team like the Wilfs, who already have sports ownership experience and stability.
Yet the prospect that “The Big Ticket” could own Glen Taylor's team is the kind of poetic justice only found in movies and epic tales.
Garnett has arduously expressed his love for Minnesota and Timberwolves fans and there would be not be a more natural transition than for him to take over the reins and make use of his intensity to get them away from the lottery and into playoff contention again.
The Wilfs might be in the lead now, but Garnett has always loved an underdog story — and he finds himself in one now. His group might have to muscle every dollar to get the ultimate winning bid, but as the once-crowned NBA champion once said: “Anything is possible.”
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