Glen Taylor’s quest to sell the Minnesota Timberwolves has continued throughout the summer, but a new bid is apparently in the works that brings one of sports’ other notorious owners into play. A new report from Scott Soshnick of Sportico indicates Jimmy Haslam, the owner of the Cleveland Browns, is exploring the possibility of purchasing the Timberwolves.
This in addition to previous reports linking former Memphis Grizzlies part-owner Daniel Straus, who Sportico also reported was interested in the Timberwolves. While Haslam’s management struggles in Cleveland are well-documented, he is worth an estimated $2.9 billion and would be in the upper-half of the league in terms of wealth. The same is also true of Taylor, who has run the franchise more like a small-market team than his spending power would indicate.
However, the likelihood of anything being imminent seems rather low. Tom Withers of the AP reports that while Haslem was presented with buying the team, it was one of several potential deals put in front of him.
Told #Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam are NOT actively engaged in exploring purchase of #Timberwolves. One of many investment opportunities brought their way.
— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) September 3, 2020
Many of the same problems of indecision and putting faith in the wrong leaders that have held the Timberwolves back also plague the Browns, making Haslam a curious candidate if Timberwolves fans are seeking a turnaround in the team’s fortune after one playoff berth in the past 16 years. Among the other suitors for the Timberwolves is Kevin Garnett, whom the local Pioneer Press reported in July would put forward about $200 million in a potential bid and likely run the basketball operations for the team.