Don’t expect a decision this week on the fate of the Sacramento Kings.
Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn said NBA Commissioner David Stern cautioned as much during a phone call on Monday. The mayor said he had called to tell the commissioner that “we were pushing ahead here in Seattle."
"He informed me then that he does not expect a decision out of the NBA on Friday, that it will be sometime after the meeting that we’ll get a decision made," McGinn said.
The mayor shared the update Tuesday while announcing a tentative deal reached to ready KeyArena for the NBA's return.
Under the agreement, which still needs City Council approval, the prospective new owners of the Sacramento Kings would pay a guaranteed rent to Seattle, ensure that all city employees at KeyArena retain their jobs, and assume operations of the arena beginning this July and lasting as long as NBA basketball is played at the facility.
A group led by hedge fund manager Chris Hansen is seeking to buy the Kings and move them to Seattle, where they plan to build a new $490 million arena for professional basketball and hockey. The sale requires league approval, which could come this week.
The NBA's SuperSonics played in Seattle from 1967 to 2008 before moving to Oklahoma City.
