A-Rod takeover: Fans can't help but fear the worst
Throughout their history, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been known for making the wrong move. Whether it's signing Joe Smith to an under-the-table deal or passing on Steph Curry twice, the Timberwolves just can't catch a break.
Because of that history, fans feared the worst when a report from The Athletic's Jon Krawczyinski stated that Alex Rodriguez and billionaire Marc Lore have entered an exclusive negotiating window to buy the Timberwolves. While the deal has several hurdles, the minds of fans went to a dark place.
The possibility of the Timberwolves moving has been hanging over the franchise since Glen Taylor decided to sell the team in July 2020. Although one of Taylor's conditions was to sell to a group that would keep the Wolves in Minnesota, there were several groups that had other ideas.
Rodriguez and Lore wouldn't appear to be one of those options to keep the team in Minnesota.
Lore is the president and CEO of Walmart U.S. e-commerce. Perhaps if he owned Target, that may be enough to calm the fears of Timberwolves fans but Minnesotans might not know enough about him to feel comfortable.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez is a key contributor in the Minnesota Twins' 18-game playoff losing streak. Aside from helping establish the longest postseason losing streak in major North American sports, Rodriguez also hit .316/.388/.632 with 51 HR and 130 RBI against the Twins during his career.
A-Rod's beating up on the Twins is obviously not a sign that the Timberwolves are moving, but there are several cities that are begging for an NBA franchise. While Las Vegas is a candidate, the city of Seattle should be at the top of the list.
The SuperSonics are a franchise that is the NBA's version of the North Stars. The team has a passionate fan base that had their team ripped away from them when Clay Bennett moved the Sonics to become the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2007.
Since then several NBA stars including Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett have mentioned a desire to bring an NBA team back to Seattle but Rodriguez has ties to the city after making his MLB debut with the Mariners.
That raises the possibility that Rodriguez could bring the SuperSonics back to Seattle nearly 20 years after leaving the Mariners for what was then the largest contract in professional sports.
But there's a good chance that it won't happen. According to Krawczynski, the NBA would rather move toward expansion than relocation, and Rodriguez's group has told Taylor he intends on keeping the franchise in Minnesota.
Of course, Taylor once believed Andrew Wiggins would play hard because he "looked him in the eyes." If Rodriguez and Lore are bluffing, it might not be hard to pull it off ,which makes fans a little nervous.
But there are still benefits to this new ownership group. The Timberwolves can have better halftime entertainment options and Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns could suddenly get into the best shape of their lives to get the Wolves out of the NBA's cellar.
The Timberwolves' status in Minnesota will be a big topic over the next several years. Although the team has generated apathy among its fans, losing the Timberwolves could just result in fighting for another NBA team down the road ... just like it did when the Lakers moved to Los Angeles in 1960.
