Three challenges ahead for Timberwolves' next majority owners

Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are set to take over as the next majority owners of the Minnesota Timberwolves following Monday's arbitration ruling, which favored their interpretation of their agreement with current majority owner Glen Taylor.

What's been a four-year sales process has finally reached its conclusion. Lore and Rodriguez have 90 days to complete the final payment for the sale — they say they have the remaining $950 payment in escrow — and gain approval of the NBA's Board of Governors. They do not expect to have issues with any of the remaining processes to complete the sale.

That means the franchise is set to change hands in the coming months, and Lore and Rodriguez will finally get the chance to turn their attention to running it, rather than battling for it in arbitration. There's no question running a franchise comes with its challenges, and there's at least a few identifiable ones on the immediate horizon. Here's a look at some of the questions Lore and Rodriguez will have to answer within the first couple years of taking over as the majority owners.

New arena

Lore and Rodriguez have expressed interest in building a new arena to replace Target Center, which is the second-oldest venue in the NBA. According to The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski, their ownership group, which includes former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has been scouting for land for a new privately-financed arena and is hoping to open a new building in Minneapolis by 2031. But there are some challenges to building a new arena. The current lease at Target Center runs through 2035, and it would cost $50 million to break it. And while their reported plans are to privately finance the arena, it's not often when a stadium is entirely privately financed. There's always a possibility of a call for some public funding, though the Minneapolis City Council has expressed skepticism at providing any funding for a new NBA arena.

TV home

Last season, the Wolves and Diamond Sports Group, their parent company of the FanDuel Sports Networks, reached an agreement on a new one-year television contract through this season. But beyond that, there's no clear television home for the Wolves or Lynx, and the Minnesota Twins recently ditched FanDuel Sports Network and are letting Major League Baseball produce their television broadcasts in 2025. Between a bankruptcy filing and fans have issues accessing the broadcasts on FanDuel Sports North, a new television home seems inevitable. An interesting idea Lore and Rodriguez have floated is creating a television home for the Wolves, Lynx and other regional sports teams, a similar concept to the YES Network created by the New York Yankees. They could also go a similar route the Ishbias did when they took over the Phoenix Suns and move the broadcasts to local over-the-air television. While that move did leave millions in guaranteed revenue on the table, it also tripled the reach of Suns games in the market. What Lore and Rodriguez decide to do with the broadcasts will be one of the biggest early decisions, but one way or another, it seems the days on FanDuel are limited.

Business side

Days before the official ruling came, there was a report that high-ranking Timberwolves officials were interviewing elsewhere. Lore and Rodriguez could have some roles to fill around the organization, and that will be one interesting development to follow. Another will be the status of Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who has an opt-out clause he can exercise after the season. It would appear Connelly will be around for the long haul as Lore and Rodriguez were the ones to bring him into the fold. That leads into a number of interesting basketball decisions that will come after the season, and how Lore and Rodriguez will want to approach and influence those calls. Julius Randle has a player option for next season, and whether he decides to opt in or out, there will be a decision to make whether to re-sign him to a long-term deal, trade him or if he opts out, let him walk. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is due to be a free agent after the season, and Naz Reid has a player option for next year that he's expected to decline. There have also been the rumblings that the Wolves attempted to trade for Kevin Durant at the deadline. Durant's days in Phoenix appear to be numbered, and that's a possibility that could revive itself over the summer. Lore and Rodriguez have said they're prepared to pay the luxury tax next season and beyond, and it will be interesting to how they influence the basketball decisions. Will they look to keep the core of the roster in tact, or will they be bold and take a big swing for someone like Durant?

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