Wolves insider says 'high-ranking' Glen Taylor hires are interviewing elsewhere

Is it an indication that Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are going to win in arbitration?

Feb 1, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Current majority owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves Glen Taylor and his wife Becky Mulvihill greet minority owner Alex Rodriguez (right) after the team defeated the Golden State Warriors at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Monday could be a monumental day in Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx history as a ruling from a panel of arbitrators is expected to reveal who will win the ownership dispute: Glen Taylor or Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez.

While the word from most insiders is that no one knows how the panel is going to rule, independent Timberwolves insider Dane Moore is suggesting that movement in the front office could indicate that change is coming.

"They are waiting for a decision from the lawyers on the arbitration, but some of the things that have been moving in the background—that [co-host Kyle Thiege] and I know of—people in high positions in the organization right now are interviewing elsewhere," Moore said Friday on The Dane Moore NBA Podcast. "I mean that's a very strong indication to me that high-ranking officials in the Timberwolves organization have been taking interviews with other organizations. That's my interpretation of the situation."

Notably, the employees interviewing elsewhere are Taylor hires, according to Moore.

"This, in my opinion. will be very good news for Timberwolves fans and just the state of Minnesota if Glen Taylor's time is done—and everything associated with it," Moore said.

On Monday this past week, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic said, "Everyone is on pins and needles around the organization. Nobody knows what's going to happen and we are all just waiting with bated breath here."

Rodriguez and Lore, along with new partner Michael Bloomberg, apparently have $940 million ready to be wired to Taylor to complete their purchase of the franchise at the originally agreed-upon cost of $1.55 billion.

Taylor backed out of the deal in March 2024 in a move that stunned Rodriguez and Lore, eventually leading to arbitration beginning in November.

The decision could come down to the interpretation of one clause in the purchase agreement. Lore and Rodriguez contend an automatic 90-day extension to complete the purchase should have been triggered when they submitted paperwork to the NBA and were waiting on approval last year. Taylor argued that Rodriguez and Lore could have been granted a “limited extension” under specific circumstances, but that those circumstances did not occur.

If the three-person panel of arbitrators rules in favor of Taylor, Taylor keeps the franchises. If the panel rules in favor of Lore and Rodriguez, completion of the sale process would commence and fellow NBA owners would have to vote to approve the transition.

It's also possible, albeit unlikely, that the losing side could appeal, further extending the drama.

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