When news broke that the city of Seattle would possibly be getting an NBA team, the basketball community rejoiced because of quickly the team was taken from them, and the success that OKC has enjoyed. But lost in the excitement was the fact that in order for Seattle to gain a team, Sacramento has to lose one. You never want to see a city lose a franchise, so it’s a tough situation. Sacramento mayor, Kevin Johnson, is desperately trying to keep the Kings in the Emerald City.
In a press conference this afternoon for a “State of Sacramento” breakfast, Mayor Kevin Johnson told reporters that David Stern has informed him that Sacramento will be allowed to present their case to keep the Kings in Sacramento at a NBA Board of Governors meeting.
What does this mean?
That’s where this gets complicated.
OK, so to catch you up. The Maloofs would like to sell the team, having realized that they’re never going to find a way to get the team out of Sacramento while retaining ownership due to 1, finances and 2, the fact that the NBA has zero faith in them as evidenced by the Board of Governors’ rejection of their bid for relocation. (Technically it never came to a vote, that was after the league saw Johnson’s last presentation which evidently made the Maloofs’ look like that horrible speech on bugs you gave in third grade.)
So they want to sell the team to someone who will drastically overpay for the team, move it to a bigger market, while allowing the Maloofs to retain control of the franchise. They want to get paid for their stake in the team while still being major players in the NBA scene and get to enjoy their toy.
H/T: CBS sports
