John Moore/Getty Images
The NBA will eventually return to Seattle according to the Mayor.
I am very optimistic without revealing my confidential sources, but I will let you know on a weekly basis.
The building of the Climate Pledge Arena means there is a stadium in place that could house an NBA team, but Seattle fans may have to be patient for any type of announcement since the NBA's collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2023-24 campaign.
Television broadcast contracts will expire after the 25th season.
Taking care of those issues will probably come before adding expansion teams on the NBA's list of priorities, and even suggested as much when looking at the timeline for his optimism.
"No, I'm not that optimistic by the end of the year. But I will tell you that the league, and those that make decisions including the ownership base, they fully understand that this is a great market here. And so there are other dynamics looking at the collective bargaining agreement with the players and the owners, how they make decisions, there are some other factors at play that need to be stabilized first. But Seattle is very ripe and the league understands that and they know our passion, particularly my administration's passion, for getting that team."
The idea of the NBA having expansion teams in Seattle and Las Vegas picked up steam in February when The Ringer's Bill Simmons said he had "intel" that the league was exploring such a possibility.
The Oak View Group will build an arena in Las Vegas by 2026 that could be the home of an NBA team in the future, according to a report by The Athletic.
Chris Daniels of KING 5 in Seattle reports that an NBA spokesman said there was no truth to the speculation.
The SuperSonics won the title in 1979 in Seattle, where they played from 1967 to 2008. They reached the NBA Finals in 1996 but lost to the Chicago Bulls.
Seattle lost its team when it moved to Oklahoma City.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
