Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan Optimistic Seattle Will Land NBA Expansion Team

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (D)

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has expressed optimism about landing an NBA expansion team for Seattle. The new outlook arose after Durkan had spoken with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver last month about expansion teams. This came after last month’s press conference where Silver announced that the league is considering expanding.

Seattle was once home to the Seattle Supersonics a beloved team by many. The Supersonics relocated from Seattle to Oklahoma, where they became the Oklahoma City Thunder after the 2007-2008 season. The move left many Seattle fans heartbroken and yearning for another NBA team.

Since then, Seattle has invested in renovating a new facility, the Climate Pledge Arena, which is expected to be completed later this year. The arena is the home of NHL expansion team the Seattle Kraken that will play next season.

In addition, the majority owner of the Kraken, David Bonderman, has expressed interest in joining a bid to land an expansion team for Seattle. Seattle native Chris Hansen and his successful private hedge fund previously attempted to buy the Sacramento Kings and move them to Seattle in 2012.

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The current pandemic has led to enormous financial losses for the league. These losses have led the basketball league to borrow $900 million to split among the 30 teams to help weather the downturn. The $900 million comes from the credit line that the league had increased from $650 million to $1.2 billion.

These financial losses might help lead to a need for expansion teams to help offset deficits. “I think it’s real,” Durkan said. “But I think again, the commissioner is going to consult the ownership, and the ownership for the first time itself is being very public that they think [expansion] is probably a good idea for basketball.”

The mayor believes that the city is the perfect place for a new team. “Part of that is the COVID economics. Part of it is the economics of sports. But look, there’s no city that I think is better positioned to be successful,” she said.