Swing And A Hit: A-Rod Reaches Deal To Own 50% Of Wolves

Alex Rodriguez may have struck out in his engagement with Jennifer Lopez, but it appears he has hit a home run in his attempts to own an NBA team.

Per Front Office Sports, A-Rod and tech mogul Marc Lore are set to become co-owners of the Minnesota Timberwolves after reaching an agreement to buy the club from current owner Glen Taylor.

So the deal, it seems, is sealed, with Rodriguez and Lore each owning a 50-percent share of the team. And to think it only cost them $1.5 billion, per Front Office Sports.

Right now, all the sale needs is approval from the other NBA owners. But with as much as the league is hurting financially these days, that's expected to be a mere formality.

"The franchise was put on the market on April 10 by owner Glen Taylor, a billionaire businessman and former politician," Front Office Sports reported. "As part of the terms of any sale, Taylor is expected to operate the team through 2023 as Lore and Rodriguez move into their ownership role."

Another item of note: Taylor has stressed that the purchase agreement includes keeping the franchise in Minneapolis. (No word, though, on whether Minneapolis still wants it.)

"Rodriguez and Lore appeared close to finalizing a deal to buy the Wolves from Taylor back on April 10, when the two sides entered into a 30-day exclusive negotiating window to hammer out the specific details," Hoops Rumors reported. "That 30-day window ended earlier this week, but the parties continued to negotiate in good faith, with Lore expressing that he believed the talks were 'close to the finish line.'"

That finish line has arrived, as A-Rod again stepped to the plate and knocked the deal out of the park. Let's just hope he runs a team better than he manages romantic relationships.

Follow Sam Amico on Twitter @FortyEightMins

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Sam Amico spent 15 years covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated, FOX Sports and NBA.com, along with a few other spots, and currently runs his own basketball website on the side, FortyEightMinutes.com.