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The Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks both entered the NBA’s Western Conference Finals as unlikely contenders, starting the year outside of the top 10 in championship odds. But as surprising as their seasons have been, the biggest shocks have come from ownership, where one stunning sale and another protracted negotiation have regularly drawn headlines.
In November, Dallas owner Mark Cuban announced an agreement to sell a majority stake in his franchise, with a twist. While the Adelson family, which runs the Las Vegas Sands casino company, would become majority owners, Cuban would stick around as head of basketball operations while continuing to claim 27% of the team. The transaction valued the asset at $3.5 billion.
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As team governor, Patrick Dumont (Miriam Adelson’s son-in-law) technically now has final say over all decisions, but Cuban has expressed that he’s been trusted to make most team-related calls. “Having the partnership and having eventually new and deeper revenue sources allows us to be better,” he said in December.
At this year’s trade deadline, the team took its typically aggressive posture, adding Daniel Gafford from Washington and P.J. Washington from Charlotte in exchange for future first-round picks. Cuban has continued to be a public face at games, too, including Wednesday’s 108-105 Game 1 win for the Mavs in Minnesota.
“If you have seen me at the games, you know it’s exactly the same,” Cuban said via email of how much he’s enjoyed this playoff run given his changed role.
Meanwhile in Minnesota, today’s ownership situation has been significantly more tumultuous. Current governor Glen Taylor and potential future majority owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are heading toward a binding arbitration process to determine who can boast control of one of the most exciting teams in the NBA.
Lore and Rodriguez signed a deal in 2021 to buy the Timberwolves over the course of four transactions. The two have spent much of the last three years sourcing financing for the purchase. But this spring Taylor said the deal was off, arguing that the buyers…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-west-rod-vs-cuban-095500279.html
Author : Sportico
Publish date : 2024-05-24 09:55:00
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