Unpacking exactly what transpired to scuttle the completion of the sale of the Timberwolves from Glen Taylor to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez might take a while, and could be a matter for lawyers.

What we are left with for now is a messy drama by which both sides have conflicting viewpoints and seem keen on winning the battle of public opinion.

A New York Post story on what went wrong with the deal suggests that Lore wanted Rodriguez to pony up more money in this round of financing, and that A-Rod came up short. Lore, meanwhile, has reportedly been spending a lot of time on another high-profile venture — a start-up gourmet food delivery company called Wonder.

Whether Lore and Rodriguez remain invested in the Wolves or eventually sell what Taylor says is a 36% stake — assuming any challenges they make in court don't hold up — remains to be seen.

Of prime interest to Wolves fans right now — secondary, still, to a team that is 50-22 and preparing for a huge game Friday against Denver — is what this all means for the future of the franchise.

To that end, a Taylor quote to the Star Tribune's Patrick Reusse was quite interesting. I talked about it on Friday's Daily Delivery podcast.

The Wolves have increased in value since the original sale was announced at $1.5 billion in 2021.

Said Taylor during a February interview with Reusse that was first published Thursday as all this was unfolding: "We could've gotten more — we could've gotten $2.5 billion paid upfront — but that person was going to try to move the team to Las Vegas."

That was the fear of Wolves fans when a sale was first being discussed. It remained part of the discussion after the sale was announced, even as Lore and A-Rod gave assurances that they intended to keep the team in Minnesota.

Conventional wisdom back then suggested the NBA would rather have an expansion team in Las Vegas than a relocated franchise, and that sentiment has grown stronger as the league gets closer to a point where expansion could be on the table.

But it's interesting — and not pleasant for Wolves fans — to think about what might have happened if Taylor had simply sold to the highest bidder regardless of their intentions.

Here are four more things to know today:

*Why can't the Twins have nice things? Yes, they won their opener 4-1 on Thursday. Of course we should celebrate another strong outing from Pablo Lopez and three hits from Carlos Correa. But Royce Lewis departing with an injury in Game 1 of 162 leaves a cloud hanging over the whole thing.

*Jaxon Nelson saved the Gophers men's hockey team on Thursday with two third-period goals in their NCAA opener. It was a clutch performance that leaves them one game from a third straight Frozen Four.

*The Gophers football team landed a quarterback recruit and flipped another recruit from Wisconsin. Not a bad days' work for P.J. Fleck.

*The Wild won, but time is running out.