The Minnesota Timberwolves last reached the Western Conference Finals in 2004, but struggled with contract negotiations with Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell, fell out of contention and ultimately lost Kevin Garnett, and haven't made the playoffs in 15 years, including a first-round win until this year.
The Timberwolves are on the brink of being eliminated from just the second conference finals appearance in franchise history after losing 3-0 to the Dallas Mavericks, but an ownership dispute threatens to lead to history repeating itself.
In 2021, billionaire entrepreneur Marc Rolle and former major league star Alex Rodriguez agreed to buy a majority stake in the Timberwolves in three installments, with the final payment due this season. However, current team owner Glen Taylor announced in a statement on March 28 that the deal was void because Rolle and Rodriguez missed the deadline for the final payment.
Rumours swirled each time about whether Roa and Rodriguez would be able to raise the $1.2 billion needed to buy 80% of the team, but they fired back with a statement: “We have met our obligations, secured all necessary financing and are committed to completing the purchase of the team as soon as the NBA completes its approval process. Glen Taylor's statement is an unfortunate example of seller's remorse that is shortsighted and disruptive to the team and fans during a historic winning season.”
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Taylor expressed concerns about Roa and Rodriguez's proposed budget, which would reduce Minnesota's total salary below next season's luxury tax threshold. According to Spotrac, only five teams have paid less than Taylor's $1.5 million luxury tax bill since 2004: the Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans.
In other words, a team owner with a track record of cutting costs assumes the next owner will do the same. This is the reality of small-market NBA cities. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves are in arbitration limbo.
Isn't the whole point of buying an NBA team to have a chance to win a championship? Why would any owner of a championship-seeking team run it under the dictates of cutting payroll and thus making the team worse off?
Many team owners don't see it the same way as fans, especially those who need help paying their teams. Profit is their game, and they can because Minnesota's combined payroll of $164.3 million is $981,286 below the tax limit this season. With contract extensions for Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels taking effect this summer, Minnesota is guaranteeing nine players $190.8 million next season, well above the NBA's proposed tax limit of $171.3 million. That would be a tax of $43.25 million by the time the 15-player roster is up.
The Wolves are in the second season of what Rodriguez called a “four- or five-year window” in 2022. That timeline is important: If Minnesota goes over the tax limit the rest of the way, under the NBA's “repeat offender” policy, the exact same spending situation would owe them $62.75 million in taxes in 2026-27. Every additional dollar of spending could cost the Wolves as much as five times as much in taxes.
Goodbye profits, unless the Timberwolves win a championship (or multiple titles) and become a marketable brand within that time frame, which is far from impossible with Edwards as the face of the franchise.
At least, that's what we thought when Edwards transformed into a superstar in a seven-game victory over the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals, but a dip in form in the final seconds of a sweep against Dallas has raised doubts about the 22-year-old's chances of making the NBA Finals.
The 0-3 series deficit also resurfaced concerns about the two highest-paid big men, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. Towns again underperformed, shooting just 27.8 percent from the field through the three games, and Luka Doncic and other Mavericks players brutally exposed Gobert's defensive failings against guards in space.
On the one hand, you could point to the thrilling win over the Nuggets as evidence that the same roster can contend for a championship next season, especially if Edwards and McDaniels continue to develop. On the other hand, Rohr, Rodriguez and/or Taylor could use this series against the Mavericks as an excuse for why they need to restructure their roster and hope that doesn't go unnoticed that part of that effort involves cutting payroll.
If Minnesota can't pull off the upset against Dallas, watch how quickly Towns becomes available and what the Timberwolves say to sell it. Will they ask for a high-paid player in return who can win immediately? Perhaps we'll hear Naz Reid fill that hole. The draft picks they receive in exchange for Towns will only give them the flexibility to continue building their team around Edwards. It'll be believable to see it in action.
Removing a piece from this season's hugely successful Jenga tower threatens to bring the entire foundation to the ground. Mike Conley turns 37 in October. What if McDaniels plateaus as a prospect? Nickeil Alexander-Walker is due a raise in 2025. What if Edwards is years away from his peak? Championship contenders build teams delicately, and team owners are often reluctant to pay when they're on the fence.
No matter how rosy the outlook for Minnesota is, there are times when Edwards looks at the world a year from now and wonders. Hold on, 33-year-old Rudy Gobert is my best teammate? Owners will likely not want to incur the costs sooner, if not already. For a team that believes it has already peaked.
Meanwhile, when asked if he would pay the luxury tax in 2022, Rodriguez didn't offer any definitive answers, telling the Star Tribune, “All of those things will be on the table, but right now our focus is on building a championship-contending team and all of those options will be on the table in the future.”
If Dallas beats Minnesota, that future could soon become a reality — unless, of course, the billionaire owners decide to gift the fans what it would cost to maintain a conference finalist team, lose or lose.
