Current Timberwolves minority owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore made their returns to Target Center on Friday for Minnesota’s bout with Atlanta, marking the duo’s first trip to a home game since the ownership dispute between current majority owner Glen Taylor and the tandem centering on who will own the team moving forward broke out two weeks ago.

While it could be viewed as an awkward distraction, it certainly didn’t carry that aura in the arena. Frankly, Wolves home games over the past two weeks have been void of mention of the ownership dispute, with players seemingly unbothered by it and fans focused far more on the on-court product.

The two entered discreetly, waiting until after the national anthem to walk into the lower bowl. They both sat on the side of the court opposite of Taylor. That’s where Rodriguez usually watches the games, while Lore’s traditional seats are just a few spots down from Taylor.

On Friday, The Athletic reported Lore and Rodriguez did submit financial commitments to the NBA on March 20 needed for their final payment. But that doesn’t necessarily equal payment. So whether the submission of those documents was enough to kick in the automatic 90-day extension to receive NBA approval listed in the purchase agreement remains to be seen.

The legal process will likely play out over several months, with mediation to take place weeks from now and arbitration to follow after.

So it makes sense for Lore and Rodriguez to attend games in the meantime. Any expectation that they’d entirely sit out a playoff run is, frankly, unreasonable. It’s not as though they’re barred from the arena. And, as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver noted this week, the lLeague will not play a role in the legal process.

And, unless it’s a famous person about which they can get excited, the players likely don’t care who’s sitting courtside. So while maybe the owners will feel awkward at times during games if Rodriguez and Lore sit courtside, it’s unlikely anyone in the arena is affected to nearly the level that would be suggested by those opining on social media.

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