New Timberwolves owners make it clear: 'We're never moving the team'

If anyone out there still has concern about the new Minnesota Timberwolves ownership group moving the franchise somewhere else, let Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez put that fear to bed.

"We are not moving the team ever," Lore said in a sit-down interview with Michael Grady. "We're never moving the team."

Lore and Rodriguez were officially approved as controlling owners of the Timberwolves by a unanimous vote from the NBA's Board of Governors on Tuesday. That brought an end to a four-year process that got a bit messy when Glen Taylor attempted to invalidate the deal last year, creating a dispute that was settled when an arbitration panel ruled in favor of Lore and Rodriguez. A new era of Timberwolves (and Minnesota Lynx) basketball is now underway.

When the two business partners first agreed to purchase the Wolves back in 2021, there may have been some angst among the fan base about the possibility of losing the team to a relocation. But they've been clear over the years that they have no plans to move the franchise, and that's a message they've reiterated since the transition was finalized this week.

"In the start-up world, I’ve always been driven by the mission, not the money," Lore told The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski. “And mercenaries are driven by money. And I think anybody who would even contemplate moving the team is clearly a mercenary. The only reason would be for money, right? And that’s just not us. .... We love the idea of Minnesota history and playing a part in that history. To move it and start over would be devastating to not only the community and the fans, but us as well. It’s not consistent with our value system."

Rodriguez echoed the same sentiment in an interview with the Dane Moore NBA Podcast. "I think we've been very clear about our desire to never move the team from Minnesota," he said.

One major thing on the agenda for Lore and Rodriguez is to build a new arena to replace Target Center, which is the second-oldest venue in the NBA. That'll take significant time and planning, but it's coming at some point down the line. "It's been in our vision since Day 1," Rodriguez told Grady.

Other items on the agenda include an extension for president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, major new hires on the business side after the departure of two longtime executives, a potential update to the team's uniforms and branding, and much more. The goal is to build a sustainable winner that does things the right way, on and off the court.

"The vision is to be the most respected, admired organization in sports around the world," Rodriguez said. "And that includes more than winning. It's the behavior, it's the character of the people in the building, it's what we do in the community, it's how the impact the great Twin Cities."

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