MINNEAPOLIS — Former baseball star Alex Rodriguez and e-commerce mogul Marc Lore signed a letter of intent Saturday to buy the Timberwolves and keep the NBA franchise in Minnesota, owner Glen Taylor said.

The agreement, which also includes the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, opens a 30-day window for negotiations to be finalized. If accountants and attorneys for both sides agree, the deal would then need to be approved by the league.

Under the conditions of the deal, Taylor would keep control of the club for the next two years and bring on Rodriguez and Lore as partners until a handover in 2023. In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Taylor said their connection went “terrifically well” and that he was “happy” and excited” about what’s to come.

The Athletic first reported the sale, which would be worth $1.5 billion.

Rodriguez and Lore are 50-50 partners in the deal, Taylor said.

HAWKS: Atlanta guard Tony Snell is expected to miss at least two games, including Sunday’s game at Charlotte, because of a right ankle sprain.

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SATURDAY’S GAMES

RAPTORS 135, CAVALIERS 115: Gary Trent Jr. scored a career-high 44 points and severely short-handed Toronto scored a franchise-record 87 first-half points en route to a blowout victory at Cleveland.

Trent made 17 of 19 field goals, including shooting 7 of 9 from 3-point range, and went 3 of 3 from the foul line in 33 dynamic minutes.

The Raptors, who built an 84-46 lead late in the second quarter, were without their top three scorers in Pascal Siakam (rest), Fred VanVleet (left hip flexor strain) and Kyle Lowry (right foot infection).

LAKERS 126, NETS 101: Andre Drummond had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Dennis Schroder scored 19 points before he and Kyrie Irving were ejected in the third quarter, and Los Angeles won at Brooklyn.

A nationally televised matchup already missing plenty of star power lost even more when Irving started jawing with Schroder and neither player stopped quickly enough for the officials.

The Lakers had led most of the way and were ahead 66-62 when Irving fouled Schroder with 9:41 left in the third. Los Angeles blew it open soon after the ejections with a 15-2 burst.

A potential NBA finals preview had a preseason feel with so many top names unavailable. LeBron James (right ankle sprain) and Anthony Davis (right calf strain) remain out for the Lakers, while James Harden is sidelined because of a strained right hamstring for the Nets.

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