After two years of constant bickering between the Sonics new owner and the fans, the time has finally come. The conclusion of six intense days of trail left Judge Marsha Pechman several days to make her ruling and post it on the federal court’s website. She was interrupted Wednesday night when Professional Basketball Club LLC (aka the SuperSonics) owner Clay Bennett stepped up and announced that a settlement between him and the City of Seattle had been reached.
The settlement means that Bennett and the team are free from the remaining two years of their lease and allowed to move to Oklahoma City. As I stated in Sonics Trial Is Done Son, Clay Bennett can move the team to Oklahoma City, Okla. but the team’s colors and name will stay in Seattle for a future NBA team. The settlement makes Seattle the first NBA franchise to relocate since 2002 when the Hornets left Charlotte for New Orleans. Coincidentally, the Hornets spent two seasons in Oklahoma City after the destruction of New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina. The Hornets nomadic movement to OKC for two partial seasons showed NBA officials and most importantly Clay Bennett that the city could sustain and host an NBA franchise.
It took an agreement of $75 million dollars for the City of Seattle to relieve Bennett and the Sonics of the lease he signed when originally purchasing the franchise for $350 million. The City was flirting with the sum of around $10 million from the numbers discussed during the trial. Judge Pechman might have made a ruling for less, but Bennett offered more than 20% of his original proposal so that the move would become official and he would not have to hear the Judge’s ruling.
Part of the reason Bennett made the deal might have to do with the fine print of the contract. Bennett announced later that “the settlement calls for a payment of $45 million immediately, and would include another $30 million paid to Seattle in 2013 if the state legislature in Washington authorizes at least $75 million in public funding to renovate KeyArena by the end of 2009 and Seattle doesn’t obtain an NBA franchise of its own within the next five years.”
This clause could save Bennett some money in the future if the City of Seattle and “Save Our Sonics” really do want an NBA team in the city. Commissioner Stern says that the NBA would support a team in Seattle if KeyArena would get renovated (estimates say it could be anywhere from $90-300 million). Stern also added that the renovations and construction of a franchise would have to be quick. During the season, Stern and the NBA ruled in favor of Bennett and allowed the Sonics to break their lease, which prompted the recent federal court show down. This, and his most recent comments, show Stern’s lack of enthusiasm to build another team in Seattle.
So after 41 graceful years, the Sonics are headed to Oklahoma City with only their name and colors and a glass slipper left behind. The only leftover of the SuperSonics in Seattle are the tickets that loyal season ticket holders paid for in advance. To address that issue, the season ticket holders have filed a class action lawsuit that states they were “tricked” into buying tickets under the belief that the Sonics would be staying in the great state of Washington. I wonder how much that will cost Bennett to get rid of?
3 replies on “See Ya Seattle”
Stern didn’t handle this very well, imo, and it’s a flat out embarrassment to the league that a great community and fanbase in Seattle loses their team to Oklahoma City of all places (no offense to Oklahoma City). That said, were ticket holders really “tricked”? The writing has been on the wall for years now.
They may keep the Sonics heritage and identity in Seattle, but what the the chances of Seattle getting another NBA team?
If a team decided to move, there are many other cities that Seattle would have to contend with.
If I were a team owner and were looking to move my team, I’d lean towards Las Vegas or Anaheim. Anaheim is in the LA metro area, so its a huge market, but the all star weekend in Las Vegas was a raging success, and I think Vegas is the best candidate for an NBA team. A move to Northern California (maybe San Jose or San Francisco) might also be considered if a team was moving.
There is a great article on ESPN about this: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=3472902
“5. Sacramento Kings, NBA
Despite ongoing efforts by the NBA and local authorities to get funding for a new arena in Sacramento, the writing could be on the wall. Arco Arena is the third-smallest in capacity. An attempt to get a $600 million arena deal in Sacramento was shot down by voters in 2006. Other indicators: The Kings finished with the fourth-worst home attendance in the league, and their owners, the Maloofs, spend much of their time in Las Vegas overseeing their casinos. So it’s clear why there is so much speculation about an eventual move to Sin City. The NBA already has tested the Vegas waters by placing the 2007 All-Star Game and other events there, while Sacramento still has yet to host an All-Star Game. ”
“9. Memphis Grizzlies, NBA
Since its inception in Vancouver, the Grizzlies franchise has been troubled. In speculation about which teams might move to Las Vegas, Seattle, Anaheim, San Jose or Kansas City, the Grizzlies often are named. Team owner Michael Heisley has tried in vain to sell the Grizzlies and remains on the lookout for potential buyers. Since he moved the team to Memphis in 2001, Heisley has been disappointed with fan and sponsor support there. Likewise, local fans have become disenchanted with the management of the team under Heisley. But under any owner, moving the Grizzlies out of Memphis would not be an easy task. Several significant hurdles are in place, including a “shall not relocate” clause that local authorities can try to enforce. The Seattle situation proves that leases and other contractual bonds can be negotiated away, but a move from Memphis does not appear imminent. ”
“Milwaukee Bucks, NBA: The Bucks have several factors that have led to speculation about an eventual move. Owner Herb Kohl has actively shopped the franchise at times and almost sold it to a group led by Michael Jordan in 2003. Also, Milwaukee is one of the smallest NBA markets. And the Bucks play in the fourth-oldest NBA arena, with a proposed $300 million downtown facility not receiving much local support. For a buyer, the Bucks could be an attractive franchise. The team has a reasonable payroll and a short-term arena lease, so it could be moved to a new market with relative ease. “
WELL I THINK MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES SHOULD MOVED TO SEATTLE,WA BECAUSE THEY HAVE LOW ATTENDANCES IN MEMPHIS,TN AND MOVED THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS TO KANSAS CITY,MO, HAVE THE CLIPPERS MOVED TO ANAHIEM,CA THE NETS SHOULD MOVED TO NASSAU COUNTY,NY HAVE ATLANTA HAWKS MOVED TO ST.LOUIS,MO, HAVE THE CHARLOTTE BOBCATS MOVED TO RALEIGH,N.C. HAVE THE HEAT MOVED TO TAMPA-ST PETERSBURG,FLA KINGS SHOULS MOVED TO VANCOUVER,BC HAVE THE PISTONS MOVED TO THE CITY LIMT OF DETRIOT,MI OR PITTSBURGH,PA, THESES MOVED WILL HELP !!!!