Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images for Breakthrough PrizeGolden State Warriors majority owner Joe Lacob may have previously expressed interest in purchasing the Oakland Athletics from managing partner John Fisher, but that transaction doesn't look set to take place any time soon.
Lacob told The Athletic's Tim Kawakami he has "not checked in recently" with Fisher about the potential deal.
"It's his team," Lacob told Kawakami. "If he decides he wants to sell, he knows who to call, that's all I'll say. We might be interested, obviously. We've said we were interested in the past. But I don't think he's doing that. I think he's very committed to continue to own the franchise. Looks like he's committed to Las Vegas."
The Athletics' planned move to Las Vegas has been approved by team owners but is opposed by the city's mayor, and the team has yet to decide on where it will play after its current lease expires at the end of 2024.
"We're always there," Lacob said. "But I'm not calling anybody, it's his team. I want to stay out of the way. We'll cross that bridge if it or another team comes available."
Lacob, who has held his role with the Warriors since 2010, recently expanded his portfolio with a WNBA expansion team. He will serve as owner and operator of the team when it begins play in the 2025 season as the league's first new franchise since 2008.
During his October press conference announcing the the team, Lacob reiterated his interest in purchasing the A's if the opportunity arises.
"We've over the years been obviously very interested," Lacob said in October. "You all know that I've said it, and if for whatever reason [Fisher] decided it wasn't going to work, sure, we might be interested."
But Lacob added, "You have to have someone who wants to sell something to be interested in buying it."
Lacob has expressed interest in adding a baseball franchise to his portfolio in the past. Bill Shaikin and Steve Henson of the Los Angeles Times reported in August that Lacob has looked into expanding into the MLB "at various times during the past two decades" by considering purchases of the Los Angeles Angles, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Athletics.
Lacob told Kawakami as recently as January that a purchase of the Angels "may be doable" after owner Arte Moreno considered selling the team last season.
"We're going to look at it... so we'll see," Lacob said on an episode of "The TK Show" podcast in January.
Lacob has a net worth of around $2 billion, per Forbes. His ownership group purchased the Warriors in 2010 for $450 million and has since seen the team's value skyrocket to $7.7 billion.
The Angels rank seventh in the MLB an estimated value of $2.7 billion, according to Forbes. The Athletics meanwhile rank 29th at $1.18 billion, a value lower than the $1.5 billion the team's stadium is expected to cost in Las Vegas.
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