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Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor won’t be selling the franchise to a buyer who wants to move the team out of Minnesota.
Taylor told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic: “People have inquired who are interested but they want to move the team. They are not a candidate. We’ve made that very clear.”
The Wolves owner also said the organization has several other options available.
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
Glen Taylor says Raine Group approached him with people interested in buying the team. That particular offer didn't pan out, but the group has several other options available that are being explored.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) July 21, 2020
The Timberwolves were on their way to missing the playoffs in 2019-20 before the season was suspended in March. The franchise has only made the postseason once since 2004. That was in 2017-18, when Jimmy Butler guided Minnesota to 47 wins and the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
Butler, of course, requested a trade from the Timberwolves after his one season in Minnesota.
The Timberwolves’ current roster is headlined by Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell. Head coach Ryan Saunders and president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas were hired by Taylor, so their futures could be up in the air moving forward.
For the team to compete for a playoff spot in the West, the Timberwolves’ new ownership group has to ultimately get more talent on the roster. However, that’s easier said than done.
Star free agents aren’t interested in signing with Minnesota, so trading for a star — like they did with Butler and Russell — seems to be the only way the Timberwolves can get high-level players to the Twin Cities alongside Towns.