Prior to the Earth-shattering news from early Tuesday afternoon involving the possible sale of one of Glen Taylor’s biggest assets, the most “significant” news surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves lately has revolved around:

• Naz Reid kayaking
• Omari Spellman’s birthday
• D’Angelo Russell

So yeah... just when you were getting ready to officially turn off your push notifications for the summer, the Internet officially sucked us all back in!

As more and more news continued to leak out yesterday, it was reported that not only were the Wolves for sale, but it was Glen Taylor’s preference to package them along with the Minnesota Lynx (you know, the basketball franchise that has actually won stuff before) in order to keep both professional teams under one roof (literally). Additional reporting confirmed what many had speculated in the past — that the Wolves most storied player in franchise history was one of the interested parties in acquiring his former employer:

Since these initial reports surfaced on Tuesday, our own Jon Krawczynski has been all over the reporting of the potential sale, including his latest story from earlier Wednesday morning about KG’s burning desire to play a significant role in owning a NBA franchise:

Without going too deep on this topic (we’ll have FAR more coverage down the road as this story unfolds), a couple important things come to mind in regards to Glen Taylor potentially selling both the Wolves and the Lynx:

• Anytime a company changes hands, turnover is likely to follow (something to monitor...)
• What does this mean for the front office that Glen Taylor has worked hard lately trying to clean up? Will Gersson Rosas have the same autonomy to make basketball decisions as he did under the current ownership?
• Will the incoming buyers look to shake things up in other areas of the front office?
• How will all of this affect the roster reconstruction that has been taking place seemingly forever?

In addition to the KG angle, it was reported late Tuesday night that the Wilf family was one of the interested groups looking to buy both basketball franchises, which would essentially make them the First Family of Minnesota Sports. As a Vikings fan, I’d argue that the Wilfs have been fairly successful owners since acquiring the team back in 2005, but I am also not naive to some of the questionable business practices that have occurred under their watch over the years.

As was widely reported on Tuesday, whoever ends up purchasing both the Wolves and Lynx will need to assure Glen that the teams will remain in Minnesota (which to any Wolves fan automatically triggers PTSD from the Andrew Wiggins “promises” before he signed his mega extension). Nevertheless, it would seem like a Wilf ownership group or a KG ownership group would likely cement the two franchises futures in Minneapolis, which is very important (especially when you consider that other cities — most notably Las Vegas and Seattle — are actively trying to find a way to bring a team to their cities as soon as possible).

Regardless of who ends up with the winning bid, it does appear like one thing is for certain — the potential sale of both franchises is inevitable (and could finalize REALLY soon):

Professional teams don’t put out statements like this unless the cart is nearing the finish line (at least in my opinion). The staff here at Canis Hoopus will continue to monitor this story and bring you any updates as they unfold.

The Countdown Continues

As mentioned above, the Glen Taylor news from yesterday primarily focused on the sale of the Minnesota Timberwolves, but it’s extremely important to remember that he also owns (and would be selling) the Minnesota Lynx, which have been the far more successful franchise during Glen’s ownership run.

While the NBA kicks off a handful of scrimmages later today (most of which I *believe* will be televised on NBA League Pass), the WNBA is continuing to prepare for their regular season tip-off, which is scheduled for this upcoming Saturday.

For those of you scoring at home, we are officially less than four full days away from the first Lynx game of the season, and while some of the familiar faces have changed, the overall goals of this dynasty have not.

It’s not lost on any Lynx fan that Cheryl Reeve will have her work cut out for her this season, but it appears that the 2020 Lynx are healthy, focused, and looking to prove many of their doubters wrong when they kick things off against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday morning.

Playing the Lottery

Lost in the shuffle of yesterday’s Glen Taylor news was this update from Shams Charania about changes to the NBA’s calendar:

This information is really only “newsworthy” for nerds like myself that have been counting down the days until something, anything can conjure up fresh Wolves-related content. Moving the NBA Draft lottery up by five days means we are OFFICIALLY less than a month away from the jostling of ping-pong balls likely determining the fate of the Wolves future yet again.

There is still no word on how exactly the lottery will play out — will teams still send a representative? If so, who will Minnesota send as their good luck charm? If Glen sells the team by mid-August, will KG show up in New York screaming “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE” as he impatiently waits for the results? Or will this all be simply conducted over a Zoom call like everything else in our lives right now?

With the start of the Lynx season, the news about Glen Taylor selling the teams, and the buildup towards the NBA lottery, it appears we may have finally escaped the doldrums of basketball quarantine. Thanks again to everyone who continues to frequent the site and provide top-notch commentary/opinions — your loyalty is greatly appreciated.

Stay safe and be well!