Timberwolves – Page 4 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Glen Taylor Received More for Sale Than Reported $1.5 Billion

Posted on July 5, 2025July 5, 2025 by David Shama

Glen Taylor told Sports Headliners in a phone interview this week he received more than the previously reported $1.5 billion for selling the NBA Timberwolves and WNBA Lynx. That figure was reported by media outlets late last month when news of the NBA approving the sale of the franchises happened.

Taylor said the transfer of ownership to a group headed by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez was finalized on June 25. Asked if the settlement price was $1.5 billion, Taylor said: “The answer is no but I am not going to get into it.”

Then he said the final figure “ended up to be on the plus-side of that ($1.5 billion).”

Estimates are the Wolves alone are worth at least double that figure. However, when Taylor and Lore and Rodriguez first agreed to a sale back in 2021 the $1.5 billion was the price settled on.

Taylor, the Mankato-based billionaire, was originally going to maintain a 20 percent share of the Wolves after the new owners took control. Asked about owning a small portion of the franchise now, he said: “No, they decided they didn’t want to and that was fine with me. The option was up to them.”

The four-year process in selling the franchises became contentious last year when Taylor disputed whether Lore and Rodriguez had met the deadline to become majority owners. He said the franchises were no longer for sale, and that led to litigation. A ruling earlier this year by an arbitration panel awarded the franchises to the Lore and Rodriguez group that also includes Michael Bloomberg, whose estimated net worth of over $100 billion makes him one of the world’s richest individuals.

The dispute involved hard feelings and cost tens of millions of dollars in legal fees but Taylor said now Lore and Rodriguez have been “cordial” toward him. “We wish them well,” Taylor added. “I’ve already talked to them and…told them that if I can be of assistance to them they should feel comfortable in calling me and talking with me. So, we’ll see if they do that.”

Taylor, 84 and long troubled by back pain, was joined in the sales process that began four years ago by his wife Becky. They are both big fans of the Wolves and Lynx. Taylor bought the Wolves in 1994 from original owners Marv Wolfenson and Harvey Ratner. He started the Lynx as an expansion franchise in 1999. Taylor owns various businesses including the Star Tribune. His Taylor Corporation is one of the largest privately held companies in the country.

What are his feelings now that his role is that of a fan? “I actually feel good. I think it was the right thing to do. You just look at all the things I am committed to. And now with my back (problem) and all that stuff. I think it was fine (the way things turned out).

“Since we signed (the deal) we’ve gone to…Lynx games. We still love to watch those women. We both feel really good on it. We haven’t done any travelling or anything, but we will.”

The Wolves and Lynx’s home arena, Target Center, is the second oldest facility in the NBA. It’s no secret the new owners want to replace the city of Minneapolis owned facility that opened in 1990. Not known, though, is that Taylor had research done regarding a possible new home for the teams.

Taylor didn’t want to say much about a new arena, positioning that as the role now of the new owners but he did offer this: “We had done quite a bit of work on it already so I’d just a soon kind of stay away (from discussing more.) I don’t know if they will use that. I think they will use some of that work that we had previously done.”

Location and financing of a new building will stir a lot of conversations and emotions. You can be sure Minneapolis supporters are agitated about talk the teams will leave for the suburbs. A site fight for a new Minnesota stadium or arena can be nasty and so, too, would public financing.

A privately financed facility avoids a lot of problems. “Yes, and I think that’s one of the things that they’re looking at,” Taylor said.

What kind of owners does he think the new group will be? “Well, I think they’re going to have to learn this market because they’re both from out East. I think things are different (than) the eastern markets.

“So, I think they have to spend some time and look at the sponsors and look at what people pay for tickets and all that stuff. There’s just a lot learning experience. I am sure they’ll do that.”

The Wolves have made the Western Conference Finals the last two years. The Lynx played for the WNBA title last year and could win the championship later this year. Fan expectations for both franchises will remain high under new leadership.

The two teams have not only of late excelled on the court, but finances are noteworthy also, Taylor said. “I feel proud and good about that,” he said about the status of the franchises.

What does Taylor believe his legacy will be for owning the two franchises for more than 25 years? “I think it will always be the same thing. That Glen Taylor kept them in Minnesota.”

Taylor’s name has been linked to being a possible buyer of the Twins but when asked about owning another local franchise he said “at my age I don’t think it would be good to get involved with another team.”

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Voss, State’s No.1 Ranked Football Recruit, Commits to U

Posted on June 23, 2025June 23, 2025 by David Shama

Roman Voss, the multi-positions player from Jackson, Minnesota and considered the state’s No. 1 recruit in the class of 2026, verbally committed to the Golden Gophers today. He told Hayes Fawcett @on3recruits this afternoon of his news making decision.

About 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Voss is considered one of the dozen or so most athletic prep football players in the country for the class of 2026. Although he has played both offense and defense in high school, he projects as a tight end with Minnesota. It’s believed he has the pass catching and run breaking skills to not only excel in college but perhaps become a play-on-Sundays tight end.

The four-star recruit’s final college choices were Minnesota and Alabama. The Gophers have one other tight end among their 2026 verbal commits, Gabe Weaver from St. Louis. Alabama doesn’t have a tight end in its class so far, per 247Sports.

Voss is now considered the most highly coveted member of the Gophers’ 2026 class that has more than 20 verbal commits. He was recruited by Minnesota tight ends coach Eric Koehler and offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr., according to 247Sports. Head coach P.J. Fleck was heavily involved, too.

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer and his offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, have roots in the Upper Midwest. DeBoer, as head coach at the University of Sioux Falls and Grubb, as an assistant there, recruited this area and now are doing the same from Tuscaloosa. Among the Tide’s verbal commits for 2026 is quarterback Jett Thomalla from Omaha, considered the state of Nebraska’s No. 1 recruit, per 247Sports.

The decision to commit to the Gophers means family and friends will have less than a three-hour drive to watch Voss play at Huntington Bank Stadium. The driving distance to the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa is over 1,000 miles and non-stop takes almost 16 hours.

In the new world of college football, recruits are well aware of being paid for their talents. Revenue sharing is expected to start this summer in major college football with the guess here that perhaps 50-plus football Gophers will receive money from the athletic department which is expected to pay athletes not only in football, but men’s and women’s basketball, men’s hockey and volleyball.

Next school year Minnesota’s official collective, Dinkytown Athletes, is likely to have a record amount of money for name, image and likeness compensation. NIL has played a key role in the Gopher football program’s success in retaining core players on the roster including pre-season All-American safety Koi Perich and star running back Darius Taylor.

The Gophers’ 2026 recruiting class is also led by two other 247 four-star recruits, defensive lineman Howie Johnson from Forest Lake and offensive tackle Andrew Trout from Cold Spring. They are the state of Minnesota’s No. 2 and No. 3 ranked players by 247Sports.

Fleck and the Gophers have landed the top high school recruit in Minnesota in three of the four previous years: Eden Prairie defensive lineman Trey Bixby (2022), Esko athlete Koi Perich (2024), and Robbinsdale Cooper linebacker Emmanuel Karmo (2025).

When Voss officially signs on make it four of the last five.

Worth Noting

Five Gophers have been chosen by Phil Steele Publications as either members of the preseason All-American team or preseason Big Ten all-conference teams. Koi Perich is a second team All-American safety. He is also a second team All-Big Ten safety and third team All-Big Ten punt returner.

Steele also recognizes defensive tackle Deven Eastern on the All-Big Ten third team, while running back Darius Taylor, defensive end Anthony Smith, and long snapper Alan Soukup are fourth team All-Big Ten.

Monday is a historic day for the University of St. Thomas after a vote by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors makes the Tommies a full member of the NCAA. The Tommies become the only NCAA member to reclassify directly from Division III to Division I. The Tommies are now fully eligible to compete in postseason play, including NCAA tournaments and championships.

Glen Taylor agreed to sell the Timberwolves about four years ago for $1.5 billion to Alex Rodriquez and Marc Lore. Now the NBA’s most glamorous franchise, the Lakers, is reportedly selling for $10 billion!

The Lakers, who originated in Minneapolis, moved to Los Angeles after the 1959-1960 NBA season. That was owner Bob Short’s decision, and he retained control of the franchise until 1965 when he sold it for about $5 million, per multiple reports.

Wild ownership and management is disappointed in the state’s decision not to help fund major renovations for Xcel Energy Center during the last legislative session. The Wolves, with the second oldest arena in the NBA, have ambitions to replace Target Center and perhaps build a privately financed facility. Financial heavyweight Michael Bloomberg is part of the new ownership group.

Wild fans look forward to this week’s NHL Draft and at the same time might recall the blunder of 2018 when Minnesota selected defenseman Filip Johannsson in the first round. At No. 24, GM Paul Fenton’s selection went before others thought he should go and Johansson never played for the Wild.

The Wild has hired 62-year-old Greg Cronin as head coach of the Iowa Wild, the franchise’s primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). He has 38 years of coaching and player development experience including at the NHL, AHL and NCAA levels.

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Sleeper Pick for Timberwolves at No. 17: Ryan Kalkbrenner

Posted on June 18, 2025June 18, 2025 by David Shama

Who do the Timberwolves select at No. 17 of the first round in next week’s NBA Draft in Brooklyn? It could be a center and the suggestion here is a sleeper pick in 7-foot-1 Ryan Kalkbrenner from Creighton.

There is speculation the Wolves could be interested in moving on from center Rudy Gobert, their soon to be 33-year-old center who is not only aging but carries a burdensome reported salary of $35 million for next season. The Wolves front office and ownership are sensitive to payroll and face an offseason where forwards Julius Randle and Naz Reid can opt for free agency.

Edwards photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves

Finding a trade partner willing to take Gobert could bring future draft picks to the Wolves and/or add veteran talent to the roster. The dream acquisition, of course, is a deal perhaps involving Gobert and bringing Suns superstar forward Kevin Durant to Minneapolis. Such a move would give the Wolves two elite and difficult to defend scorers in Durant and guard Anthony Edwards.

After 12 NBA seasons, Gobert remains a game-changing defensive player and rebounder. This past season he was All-NBA second team defense. He’s a four-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Gobert has finished top 10 in total rebounds in nine of the last 10 seasons, leading the league twice in that period. This past season he averaged 12 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.

The Wolves have no one on the existing roster who comes close to matching Gobert’s profile. But Kalkbrenner, who mock drafts project going later than No. 17, potentially does.

The two players have more in common than their height and weight (approximately 260 pounds each). This past season Kalkbrenner was named both the NABC National Defensive Player of the Year and Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year. Four times in his career he was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year.

Kalkbrenner also avoids foul trouble. In his five-year career with the Bluejays there were only 13 times when he had four fouls in a game.

His senior season this is how he ranked nationally in top 50 categories: second in field goals made, third in total blocks, fourth in field goal percentage, fourth in blocks per game, 22nd in total points and 28th in total rebounds.

The 23-year-old was a second and third team All-American in 2025 after averaging 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks.

Kalkbrenner reportedly also has soft hands, a key asset for a big man in grabbing the basketball. Combined with his height, that makes him an inviting target for lob passes.

And his offensive game in the NBA could include three-point shooting. In his two final seasons he made 37 of 115 attempts, or 32.2 percent.

Rudy can’t match that. He’s never made an NBA three-point shot.

Worth Noting

The Wolves have the first pick in the second round. They could bite on a point guard, perhaps combo guard Ben Saraf from Israel.

The first round of the draft is next Wednesday and begins at 7 p.m. Minneapolis time with ABC and ESPN televising. The second round starts at 7 p.m. Thursday with ESPN broadcasting.

General impression so far is Niko Medved is a popular hire as the new men’s Golden Gophers basketball coach. That won’t translate immediately into big crowds at Williams Arena, though. The Gophers might do well to see about a 2,000 sale increase in season tickets for the 2025-2026 home schedule. That could push the total into the 7,000 range.

Happy belated birthday to legendary Golden Gophers football player Bobby Bell who turned 85 yesterday.

The state Legislature didn’t finalize the new University of Minnesota Board of Regents members before it recessed this spring. The authority now falls on Governor Tim Walz who is expected to appoint four new regents to fill vacancies after the application process closes in early July.

Here’s hoping former Hormel executive and ex-U interim president Jeff Ettinger is interested now or in the near future.

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