Kevin Garnett buying the Timberwolves could spark Minnesota basketball

Glen Taylor selling the Minnesota Timberwolves to franchise star Kevin Garnett could reignite the fan base with a recreated roster packed with offense.

There’s a reason No. 21 isn’t hanging from the rafters at the Target Center. The Minnesota Timberwolves are in need of a revival and the cornerstone of eight straight playoff appearances could flip the fan base.

Tuesday, The Athletic reported owner Glen Taylor is interested in selling the middling franchise, which has one playoff appearance since former franchise star and prospective owner Kevin Garnett was initially traded away. Taylor has considered selling the team in the past, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made it more of a reality.

"“He is concerned about his other businesses that have been struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic,” The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania wrote."

In the past, Taylor has had opportunities to sell the team but, like in the present, prospective buyers have wanted to move the team. There is a buzz for bringing basketball back to Seattle but Taylor vowed he wouldn’t sell to an ownership group that would take the team out of the Twin  Cities.

Garnett checks that box and more. He returned to the team at 38 years old to play for the late Flip Saunders — Minnesota’s winningest coach in franchise history. He was sold on the idea to move into minority ownership with Taylor, something the current owner disputes, and when it didn’t happen it created a divide between Garnett and Taylor, impacting the fan base.

Fans haven’t had a reason to support the team except for a 47-win season in 2017-18, resulting in the team’s lone playoff appearance — a first-round exit — since Garnett starred for the Wolves. Even in that season, the team was 21st in average attendance and 20th in attendance/capacity.

But the last two seasons have seen the Timberwolves second-last in attendance percentage with only the Detroit Pistons worse off. That includes the 2019-20 season in which the Timberwolves averaged a league-worst 15,066 fan per home game.

"“I think I put a really good team together with the Timberwolves,” Taylor told The Athletic. “I feel really good about that. There’s a good team there. Both the player bunch and the business bunch. So I think I’ve done my responsibility there to have that so it can go on and become better.”"

The front office and roster have been transformed. Reality is, it’s for the better with the hiring of Gersson Rosas, who recreated a star tandem after years of Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns wasn’t working. It generated a buzz for Ryan Saunders, the son of Flip, who has coached the team the last two seasons.

Garnett could detonate the match lit by acquiring D’Angelo Russell. He loves Minneapolis and his connection to the franchise should separate his group from other buyers.

"“My passion for the Minnesota Timberwolves to be a championship team is well known but I have a deeper affection for the city of Minneapolis,” Garnett wrote in a tweet Tuesday. “I once again want to see Minneapolis as the diverse and loving community that I know it is. No two people love the city more than myself and Glen Taylor and I look forward to trying to work with him to achieve my dream.”"

Taylor, who is from the state, has made owning the team his passion, and The Athletic reported that in the past he has had plans to stay on and usher in a new ownership group, or even stay as a minority owner.

Garnett buying the team from Taylor would likely set aside any differences they previously had. Taylor, who has owned the team for 26 years, could have peace of mind the face of the franchise would keep a local ownership group in play. And it seems the possibility of Taylor staying on as a minority owner could be on the table.

Sweeping changes

Pairing Russell and Towns and remaking the roster improved the team’s offense in the 13 games after trading for Russell and before the coronavirus pandemic caused a league-wide shutdown. The team ranked sixth, scoring 117.3 points per game during that span. But the team was 3-10 and gave up a league-worst 125.4 points per contest.

They will have an opportunity to improve their roster, especially on the defensive end. Plus the Wolves only had one game where Russell and Towns played together — Russell’s Wolves debut Feb. 10.

If the Wolves were to renounce their cap holds, they’d have $18.9 million in cap space this summer according to Spotrac. With Russell and Towns on max contracts and controlling half of a projected $115 million cap limit, the room for maneuvering is limited.

Malik Beasley, who the Timberwolves acquired in a multi-team, blockbuster deal that sent Robert Covington to the Houston Rockets and Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks, is a restricted free agent and likely a popular one.

Resigning the two-way wing or matching a salary sheet would give the Timberwolves a young trio to build around. It would also limit their ability to go into a marquee 2021 free agent year with a beloved former player in Garnett as the spokesman for the team and budding stars in Russell and Towns.

Pairing with the recent draft picks of Josh Okogie, a high-energy athlete developing as a defensive stopper, and last year’s first-round pick Jarrett Culver gives the Wolves financial flexibility and a young roster in need of vets to create a winning formula.

The Timberwolves’ potential for future success with the Mayo Clinic practice facility adjacent to the Target Center and connected by Skyway will be a key selling point.

Tuesday’s story should bring optimism to Twin Cities basketball and a revival could be near if Kevin Garnett and his ownership group win the bid.