Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson pressed NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Thursday to bring the SuperSonics back to Seattle. It was their third conversation this year, and it came as recent signals from the league have clouded the city's expansion hopes.
Ferguson's office requested the virtual session, which began at 2 p.m. His spokesperson, Brionna Aho, called it another good conversation and said the governor remains committed to the team's return.
Ferguson and Silver also spoke in February and March, before the NBA's Board of Governors voted to formally open expansion talks with Seattle and Las Vegas. A decision is expected by the end of 2026.
Silver has cautioned more than once that the outcome may produce a single new franchise, or no expansion at all. Any club the league adds would begin play in the 2028-29 season.
The price question
Money hangs over the process. The expansion fee could top earlier estimates, with a Las Vegas team potentially priced at $10 billion, a sum the 30 existing owners would divide. A Seattle franchise is not expected to bring in that much.
Team values climbed this year after the blockbuster sales of the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. That has raised questions about whether a cheaper Seattle club would be worth it to owners, though some suspect league leaders are posturing to push Seattle's price higher.
Seattle Kraken owner Samantha Holloway is the clear favorite to lead a Seattle ownership group, in part because her company owns Climate Pledge Arena. A private equity-backed group working with the Tulalip Tribes has also stepped forward, though basing a team some 40 miles north of the city could create complications.
Las Vegas, by contrast, has drawn several bidders. Those who fall short there could end up partnering with Holloway in Seattle.
A governor's childhood team
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Ferguson said he remained optimistic but acknowledged he had no inside knowledge of owners' deliberations, saying he follows the same news as everyone else.
Our bid is strong. We have the right arena. I mean, we check each and every box that the NBA could possibly hope to have for someone bidding for a new team,
Bob Ferguson, Washington governor
Ferguson, who grew up going to Sonics games and the Lenny Wilkens Basketball Camp, also used his annual speech to lawmakers this year to call for the team's revival.
Seattle has gone nearly two decades without an NBA team, since Starbucks executive Howard Schultz sold the franchise and new owner Clay Bennett moved it to Oklahoma City, where it became the Thunder. A 2013 bid to lure the Sacramento Kings north collapsed.
