Could Seattle get a NBA team again?

It was sad story when the Seattle Supersonics left Seattle and went to Oklahoma City. The Supersonics left behind 40 years of history. They also left behind a successful franchise and a bunch of passionate fans. Just think right now the Seattle Supersonics would be the best team in the NBA as the Oklahoma City Thunder are now. Kevin Durant would be dominating in Seattle not OKC.

Now they are reports that an NBA could be coming back to Seattle pretty soon. The Seattle Times is reporting that there is a buyer in place for a team and there are also plans to build a new arena. The Seattle Teams reports.

A wealthy San Francisco hedge-fund manager and officials in the Seattle mayor’s office have been working behind the scenes for eight months to bring an NBA team back to the city as early as next fall and build a new arena, according to emails and documents that reveal a far more concerted effort than previously known.

A Dec. 13 agenda for a meeting between the parties shows they were talking about details such as a “Review of Basic Deal Structure,” “Financing Issues,” including “City Debt Capacity,” and “Security for Public Financing.”

The documents, released Friday to The Seattle Times under a public-disclosure request, also provide the first glimpse of how the largely unknown hedge-fund manager, 44-year-old Seattle native Christopher Hansen, approached the city about his desire to buy an NBA team and build an arena south of Safeco Field.

In an initial email laying out his vision, Hansen told city officials an arena could be built with minimal impact on taxpayers.

I really hope Seattle gets a NBA back. The way they left was really ugly and many people across the country not just Seattle were upset with the Supersonics move. Many questioned David Stern in this whole process.

So how is Seattle going to get a team? I don’t see the NBA expanding just because so many franchises are struggling to make money. Plus that would make 31 teams in the NBA and then the NBA would have to find another franchise to make an even 32 teams. So the most likely way Seattle will get a team is by a franchise relocating to Seattle.

The Seattle Times reports that Hansen will likely be going after the Sacramento Kings, who are undergoing an arena dispute. There is a February 14th meeting coming up to decided the future of the Kings in Sacramento. There were rumors this past summer that the Kings might move to Anaheim. However, right now the Maloof brothers who own the Kings have not yet shown any interest in selling the Kings, but lots of money talks.

I would love for Seattle to get a team back but there is still a lot that needs to happen. The two biggest obstacles are Seattle getting a new arena and the Maloof brothers selling the team.

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