Report: Dodgers owner confirms interest in Nets

Dodgers owner Mark Walter confirmed his interest in purchasing a piece of the Brooklyn Nets, according to a report this weekend from Bob Nightengale and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports.

Dodgers owner Mark Walter confirmed his interest in purchasing a piece of the Brooklyn Nets, according to a report this weekend from Bob Nightengale and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports.

Walter, the controlling owner of the Dodgers, said his Guggenheim Group is "going ahead hopefully" with the purchase. Hall of Famer Magic Johnson is a part of the Guggenheim Group. 

Earlier this week, it had been reported that Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is interested in entertaining offers for the franchise he purchased in 2010. At the time, the Russian billionaire paid $210 million for his majority share of the Nets, who were valued at $780 million by Forbes in January. 

On Friday, sources close to the Dodgers said in a report that any potential deal is unlikely. 

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It's not immediately clear how the sale would happen, but one potential deal would involve Prokhorov keeping controlling interest of the franchise and Guggenheim buying in as a minority owner. 

The Nets begin their preseason on Tuesday with a game against Maccabi Tel Aviv. Brooklyn tips off its regular season on the road Oct. 29 vs. the Celtics. 

- Marc Weinreich