Biggest factor in Timberwolves' offseason may be their ownership

Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have acquired full control of the Timberwolves, pending the transfer process and a vote by the NBA's board of governors. They won their arbitration dispute with current owner Glen Taylor, who has had control of the team since 1994.

But when preparing to take over the team a year ago, before Taylor tried to void the sale, Lore and Rodriguez reportedly submitted financial projections that indicated their plans for big cuts to the Timberwolves' payroll. Going into the 2024-25 season, they wanted to reduce their total salary to $171M and get under the luxury-tax line, while the team instead had the league's second-highest payroll at nearly $205M.

Their strategy may have changed after Lore and Rodriguez brought in extra investors to bolster their bid. The ownership group now includes former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Perhaps that will make the team more willing to maintain a high payroll, especially having shed Karl-Anthony Towns' four-year, $220M contract before the season.

The team has to decide what to do about free agents Julius Randle, Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. It has the No. 21 and No. 31 picks in this June's draft, though it has only one more first-rounder in the six following drafts. In addition, team president Tim Connelly can opt out of his own contract.

It really comes down to the vision of the new ownership group — and their willingness to pay the luxury-tax penalties it will take to keep their team together.