That person could be Yahoo! cofounder David Filo.

Rumors are circulating that the 44-year-old Filo, a New Orleans native and 356th richest person in America, has expressed interest in buying the Hornets, which experienced a net loss of more than $18 million last season, and full financial documents posted Monday by Deadspin paint a grim picture of a team in fiscal turmoil. Filo certainly could turn the team’s books around quickly, having amassed an estimated net worth of $1.15 billion (far less than the $3 billion that some outlets have reported). The league announced late last month that it would be buying the team from Shinn, who has taken much criticism despite having orchestrated the franchise’s move from Charlotte in 2002, for a cool $300 million.

It’s unclear at this point whether Filo would purchase the team outright or (more likely the case) lead an ownership group of investors in pursuing the bid. Word of the move has spread via scuttlebutt that had Filo talking about his potential interest on satellite radio (although there’s little supporting evidence that the interview took place), as well as Fletcher Mackel, a sports anchor for the NBC affiliate in New Orleans, tweeting Wednesday that he’s also heard Filo’s name pop up as a potential franchise savior.

Eric Freeman at Yahoo! Sports has a dream-list rundown of who else might make for a quality Hornets honcho, but Filo (seen here taking in some Stanford basketball with fellow Yahoo! cofounder Jerry Yang) might just be the man with the cash and the pedigree to get it done.

Yahoo! has not responded to Wired.com’s request for comment.

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Authors: Erik Malinowski

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