Timeline of Glen Taylor’s ownership of the Timberwolves and Lynx

Glen Taylor, who owns the Minnesota Star Tribune, is departing as owner of the Timberwolves after 30 years. Here’s a timeline of his ownership of the Wolves and the Lynx.

Aug. 6, 1994: Taylor is introduced as the new general managing partner and spokesman of the Timberwolves. It is the culmination of nearly a year of haggling and deal-making and lawsuits and arguments on the statehouse floor and after an offer for $152.5 million from a group that would have moved the team to New Orleans was rejected by the NBA. Wanting to keep the team in Minnesota, Taylor pays original owners Harvey Ratner and Marv Wolfenson a reported $94 million. Team president Bob Stein, who had time left on a contract, becomes a consultant. Taylor brings son-in-law Rob Moore in as team president and son-in-law Roger Griffith in as financial officer. Taylor pledges to retain General Manager Jack McCloskey.

May 11, 1995: Taylor fires McCloskey and replaces him with Kevin McHale. McHale, the former University of Minnesota and Boston Celtics star who had returned to Minnesota as a team broadcaster and special assistant, is first promoted to assistant GM, then given the president of basketball operations job. Hiring Flip Saunders as the team’s GM is one of McHale’s first moves.

June 28, 1995: The Timberwolves take high school standout Kevin Garnett with the fifth pick in the NBA draft, four picks after No. 1 Joe Smith.

Dec. 18, 1995: McHale replaces coach Bill Blair with Saunders, who adds the head coaching role to his GM duties.

April 24, 1997: The Timberwolves make their first NBA playoff appearance in a loss to Houston. The Rockets’ three-game first-round sweep marks the first of eight straight playoff appearances for the Wolves, the first seven of which would result in first-round losses.

April 22, 1998: The Lynx are one of two teams granted a WNBA expansion franchise. After a relatively slow start, with Cheryl Reeve hired for the 2010 season, the Lynx go on to appear in seven league finals — most recently last fall — and win four championships with Taylor as owner.

Fall, 2000: It was discovered Taylor and McHale had entered into a deal with Smith intended to circumvent the league’s salary cap. The Timberwolves are fined and docked five first-round draft picks, though two are ultimately returned. Taylor, who took full responsibility, is suspended.

2003-04: Led by the trio of Garnett, Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell, the Wolves advance to the Western Conference finals, where they lose to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. It was a power trio that would soon be fractured by contract squabbles.

Feb. 12, 2005: With the Timberwolves 25-26, Saunders is fired and replaced as coach by McHale. The Wolves fail to make the playoffs, the first of 13 straight seasons without a playoff berth.

July 31, 2007: Garnett is traded to Boston in exchange for five players and two draft picks. The Celtics win an NBA title the next spring.

Dec. 8, 2008: McHale leaves his executive position and returns to the bench, replacing the fired Randy Wittman.

Dec. 8, 2009: The Lynx hire Cheryl Reeve as head coach.

Jan. 12, 2010: The Lynx trade for former University of Minnesota star Lindsay Whalen.

Nov. 2, 2010: The Lynx win the WNBA draft lottery, getting the first overall pick.

April 11, 2011: The Lynx draft Maya Moore.

Oct. 7, 2011: The Lynx win the first of four WNBA titles with a 73-67 victory over Atlanta, completing a 3-0 sweep of the Finals.

May 3, 2013: Eight years after being fired as head coach, Saunders returns as president of basketball operations. He adds head coaching duties a season later, replacing Rick Adelman. Among his first moves are drafting Zach LaVine, then engineering a trade that brings Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett to the team.

Oct. 10, 2013: The Lynx finish a 7-0 run through the playoffs, winning their second WNBA title with an 86-77 victory over Atlanta in Game 3 of the finals.

May 19, 2015: The Wolves win the NBA draft lottery, earning the right to the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in franchise history.

June 25, 2015: The Wolves draft Karl-Anthony Towns first overall and acquire Tyus Jones in a draft-day deal.

July 27, 2015: The Lynx acquire center Sylvia Fowles from Chicago in a midseason trade.

Aug. 11, 2015: Saunders announces he has been diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma and has been receiving treatment. He would miss the season, on leave, with Sam Mitchell coaching the team.

Oct. 14, 2015: The Lynx win their third title, beating Indiana in Game 5 of the Finals at Target Center.

Oct. 25, 2015: Saunders dies.

April 20, 2016: Taylor announces the hiring of Tom Thibodeau as president of basketball operations and head coach.

June 22, 2017: After a 31-51 season, the Wolves trade with Chicago for Jimmy Butler, sending LaVine and Kris Dunn — among other assets — away.

Oct. 4, 2017: The Lynx defeat Los Angeles in Game 5 to win their fourth league title.

April 15, 2018: The Wolves appear in a playoff game for the first time since 2004. With Butler averaging 22.2 points per game, the Wolves win 47 games, qualifying for the playoffs and opening the first round against Houston. Minnesota loses in five games.

July 13, 2018: Having indicated his frustration with some of his younger Timberwolves players, and in the midst of staying away from Minnesota for the entire summer, Butler rejects a four-year, $110 million contract extension offer.

Sept. 19, 2018: Butler formally requests a trade. This sent in motion a series of events that include his now-famous team practice in which he led a group of reserves over the starters in a scrimmage.

Nov. 12, 2018: After appearing in 10 games with the Wolves, Butler is traded to Philadelphia.

Jan. 6, 2019: After starting the season 19-21, Thibodeau is fired as president of basketball operations and coach, with GM Scott Layden staying on and Ryan Saunders becoming head coach.

May 1, 2019: Gersson Rosas is named president of basketball operations. Rosas later signs Naz Reid as an undrafted rookie following the 2019 draft.

Aug. 20, 2020: The Wolves win the COVID-delayed draft lottery and, on Nov. 18, draft Georgia guard Anthony Edwards first overall.

Feb. 21, 2021: After a 7-24 start to the season, the Wolves fire Ryan Saunders as coach, signing Toronto assistant Chris Finch to replace him.

April 10, 2021: News breaks Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have entered into an agreement to buy the Timberwolves and Lynx from Taylor for $1.5 billion in a deal that will include incremental payments while allowing Taylor to remain in control of the team until the deal is finished.

Sept. 22, 2021: Rosas is fired, with Sachin Gupta taking over on an interim basis.

April 16, 2022: After a 46-win season, the Wolves return to the playoffs against Memphis, losing the first-round series in six games.

May 23, 2022: Tim Connelly is hired as president of basketball operations.

July 6, 2022: The Wolves trade Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley and Walker Kessler – among others – and a bevy of first-round draft picks to Utah for center Rudy Gobert.

March, 2024: Claiming Lore and Rodriguez have missed a payment, Taylor announces his intention to cancel the deal to sell the team.

May 30, 2024: After winning 56 regular season games and beating Phoenix and Denver in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Wolves’ season ends in the Western Conference finals with a Game 5 124-103 loss to Dallas.

Oct. 2, 2024: With training camp about to open, the Wolves trade Towns to New York in a three-team trade that brings Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Wolves.

Feb. 10, 2025: An arbitration panel votes 2-1 in favor of Lore and Rodriguez and against Taylor in his desire to cancel the sale of the Wolves and Lynx.

May 28, 2025: After a 49-win season and playoff series victories over the Lakers and Golden State Warriors, the Timberwolves’ season ends in the conference finals again in a 124-94 loss at Oklahoma City in Game 5.

June 24, 2025: The NBA Board of Governors unanimously approves the sale of the Wolves.