Alex Rodriguez Reveals Target Window for New Wolves-Lynx Arena

A new arena could be coming to Minneapolis, and A-Rod thinks most of it, if not all of it, will be privately funded.

Apr 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Former MLB players Alex Rodriguez (right) attends game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The new Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx ownership group led by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez continues to express a desire to build a new arena, and it could happen within the next decade.

During an event last week at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management, Rodriguez said it is "very important" to him that the team has a new home. However, he also understands the current market and expressed that it will take a bit of time to get a new arena.

Rodriguez noted that it's probably a "five- to seven-year project" to get the Timberwolves a new stadium. Target Center has been home to the Wolves since 1990, making it the second-oldest venue in the NBA.

Notably, Rodriguez stated his desire to keep the team in Minnesota.

"We want to keep it in Minneapolis, downtown," Rodrigeuz said.

"Back in the day, it was really a vanity or a luxury to have (a new arena)," continued Rodriguez. "Today it's a necessity. It's a necessity to compete against teams like the Lakers, Golden State, Oklahoma City, and these teams are getting better and better.

"It helps drive revenue. It helps with better hospitality, better fan experience. The other part is the more revenue the team makes, the more we're able to turn around and deploy more capital and resources into the team, personnel, etcetera. We're really, really energized. I think it's a five- to seven-year project. We want to keep it in Minnesota. We want to keep it in Minneapolis, downtown, and really continue to energize the great fan base."

Since Rodriguez and Lore took full control, they've been public about their desire to build a new arena. To spearhead that drive, they brought in CEO Matt Caldwell, who had spent the past two decades as the chief executive of the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Caldwell declared that a new stadium is a "huge priority" and admitted that it's going to be a "massive operation."

Rodriguez says the new stadium could be built with "mostly" private funding.

"We're very aware of the environment, and we're leaning very, very strongly to mostly private, if not all of it," he said. "But we hope to work with the powers to be, and that's why we pay Matt the big money."

The Twins' Target Field opened in 2010, the Vikings' U.S. Bank Stadium opened in 2016, and the St. Paul Saints' CHS Field opened in 2015. All three were injected with significant funding from the public.

While the team has made several innovations to the Target Center to upgrade the fan experience and drive more revenue, ultimately, those are temporary Band-Aids until Rodriguez and Lore are able to facilitate the construction of a new, state-of-the-art arena.