The T'Wolves last week "sold more than 300 full season-ticket packages" after completing a three-team trade that sent F Kevin Love to the Cavaliers and saw the Minnesota club secure G Andrew Wiggins, F Anthony Bennett and F Thaddeus Young, according to Jon Krawczynski of the AP. That sales number "beats the previous record" set in '11 when G Ricky Rubio "announced that he was coming over from Spain." The T'Wolves' sales staff "had to sit on its collective hands and wait for the official announcement to come before reaching out to fans to beef up a season-ticket base that dropped" from 7,400 last season to fewer than 6,000 this summer. Sales reps "were barred from discussing the trade with inquiring fans and the team certainly could not advertise the wholesale changes that were coming." When the announcement finally did come down, 50 sales reps "wore brightly colored wigs to the office on Saturday morning to celebrate, and they started hitting the phones." The team "also set a new five-day record with 500,000 page views and 200,000 visitors to timberwolves.com" (AP, 8/30). T'Wolves Senior VP & Chief Revenue Officer Ryan Tanke said, "It's been re-energizing for our staff and our fans. It's been fun to be a part of this week." He added, "It's been an overwhelmingly positive reaction. We are cautiously optimistic that it will continue" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 8/29).
