Alex Rodriguez’s Timberwolves Dispute: No End in Sight After Arbitration Gets Pushed to 24-25 Season Start

Alex Rodriguez still has a big fight ahead of him. Despite his growing popularity within the Minnesota Timberwolves fanbase, there’s a growing feeling of doom attached to A-Rod’s stay. After all, even though he owns a sizable percentage of the team, the star’s ownership dreams can vanish at any point. While initially, fans hoped that this drama would be over by the end of summer, the latest reports indicate it has just gotten delayed.

As per the contract that Rodriguez and Marc Lore signed with Glen Taylor, the two parties would’ve had to follow a strict protocol in case of a dispute. First, they’d try to solve it themselves, then they’d have to go to a mediator. It was only after the mediator failed that the two could enter arbitration. Now the reports are in and arbitration will be taking place – only it’ll be right at the heart of the 2024-25 season.

Star Tribune reports that the arbitration between Alex Rodriguez and Glen Taylor will begin by early November. That is almost 2-3 months behind the expected schedule. With the NBA season set to begin by October end, the Timberwolves are looking to compete another season while an ownership sword hangs over their heads. However, it isn’t surprising, given the process has been quite gradual till now.

The stage has been set for an arbitration battle, ever since the mediation failure on May 1. As of now, expectations are that the arbitration hearing will last a week. The three-member arbitration panel will have to deliver a ruling within 30 days of this hearing. Also, the contract states that the arbitration must finish within six months and will have to take in Minneapolis.  

So, as it stands, Alex Rodriguez still has a long way to go before he can call himself the majority owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Now, the duo of A-Rod and Marc Lore has a slim minority within the T-Wolves boardroom.

What is Alex Rodriguez’s current standing within the Timberwolves?

Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore currently own 36% of the T-Wolves. Their limited partners own the other 4%, and they had to pay the third and final installment by March 27. However, they missed the date, which led to Taylor terminating the agreement and remaining the biggest shareholder of the team. However, Rodriguez remained adamant that he hadn’t missed any deadline, the duo even claimed that they had submitted the paperwork on time and per the agreement, the date should have been extended up to 90 days.

In any case, the arbitration panel will now have a tough decision on its hands. It can give Taylor the win by declaring that he was right to terminate the deal. Or, it can be concluded that Alex Rodriguez’s group never missed the date, and should either be given the team, or paid for monetary damages. And as, for A-Rod, his journey won’t end, even after a potential win. 

According to the NBA’s rules, the group will then have to wait for the NBA’s approval process. However, if things go their way in the arbitration, why would the league obstruct the sale? Perhaps because since the deal was signed, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ value has risen from $1.5 billion to $2.9 billion. But, would the league allow for a sale at such a discount? That is a big question.