Sacramento mayor has plan to save the Kings

BY Tim Haeck  on January 15, 2013 @ 10:18 am (Updated: 7:04 am - 1/16/13 )

AP: 683d97ab-7e4a-4eb2-bcbd-b521f89fc6aa
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson is reportedly working on a counter-offer to buy the city's NBA team, the Kings. And he's gotten permission to take his proposal directly to league owners. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) | Zoom
The mayor of Sacramento is reportedly working on a counteroffer to buy the city's NBA team, the Kings, and he wants to take his proposal directly to league owners.

Speaking at the annual State of Downtown breakfast on Tuesday, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said he has received approval from NBA Commissioner David Stern to present a counteroffer to the league from buyers who would keep the team in Sacramento.

He said the city is in a "six-week sprint" to put together a proposal for the NBA's Board of Governors to consider over a potential sale and relocation to Seattle.

The league's deadline for teams to apply for a move for the next season is March 1, though that has been extended each of the last two years for the Kings. And both times, Johnson, a former NBA All-Star, has convinced the league that Sacramento could help fix the franchise's financial woes and secure its long-term home in a new arena.

Multiple reports suggest that Kings owners are working out a sale of the Kings to investors who would move the team to Seattle.

People with knowledge of the situation said last week that a group led by San Francisco-based investor Chris Hansen, who wants to return the NBA to Seattle, has contacted the Maloof family about buying the Kings. They spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because no deal has been reached.

One person said the Kings could sell for more than $500 million, topping the NBA-record $450 million the Golden State Warriors sold for in 2010. Some reports have suggested up to $525 million.

Johnson commended Seattle's efforts to bring the NBA back to the Puget Sound. He just doesn't want it to be at the expense of Sacramento.

"We have a city and a community that have done every single thing that is required," Johnson said. "I hope Seattle gets another team. They deserve another team. They didn't deserve to lose a team in the first place. It just won't be the Sacramento Kings if we have anything to do with it."

"We want this to be the final act of a saga that's gone on for far too long," Johnson said.

The Kings' future in Sacramento has been uncertain because the Maloofs and the city haven't been able to agree on a deal for a downtown arena.

"While I am sensitive to the important role of the news media in informing the public, our position has not changed, we will not comment on rumors or speculation about the future of the Sacramento Kings franchise," Maloof family spokesman Eric Rose said in a statement Tuesday.

The NBA declined to comment on Johnson's remarks Tuesday.

No specific details have emerged of Johnson's plan to keep the Kings in Sacramento.

The CBS TV station in Sacramento reports that Johnson attended what it calls a "top-secret meeting" Monday afternoon at a private club, presumably to talk about his idea to broker a sale to local buyers.

The Sacramento Bee reports Johnson has approval from the commissioner of the NBA to make his counteroffer to the league's board of governors, a committee of team owners.

Johnson said the Maloofs could still "participate in some way" in the new local ownership group "if they want to remain a part of this team and this community."

The mayor called the potential $500 million to $525 million price tag for the Kings an "outrageous number." He admits potential buyers he could pull together in Sacramento will not top that figure, but he also doesn't believe it has to.

Johnson said the Maloof family still must repay a $77 million loan to the city and other lenders if they leave. There also could be a potential relocation fee from the NBA that new owners wouldn't have to pay if the team stayed.

Subtracting those totals and adding the "proven support" Kings fans have shown in the past, Johnson's goal is to line up buyers willing to pay about $400 million to $425 million for the team and argue Sacramento's side to the league.

"We were there two years ago and we prevailed," Johnson said. "We have a very compelling case."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Tim Haeck, KIRO Radio Reporter
Tim Haeck is a news reporter with KIRO Radio. While Tim is one of our go-to, no-nonsense reporters, he also has a sensationally dry sense of humor and it will surprise some to learn he is a weekend warrior.
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Comments (21)


  • Add A Comment

  • Nervoso wrote...
    An exercise in futility
    January 15, 2013 10:46 am
    but a clever political maneuver, "Hey, I tried, I tried everything to keep the team, re-elect me."
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • corn2112 wrote...
    Where was our mayor?
    January 15, 2013 10:47 am
    Why couldn't McCheese have fought like this?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SeattleNative wrote...
    McCheese wasn't mayor when the NBA abandoned Seattle
    January 15, 2013 4:26 pm
    It was Greg Nickels.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • soo purletiv wrote...
    McCheese WAS the mayor when the NBA abandoned Seattle
    January 15, 2013 6:24 pm
    It was Greg Nickels, AKA Mayor McCheese...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • AKAF wrote...
    excuse me...seattle native
    January 15, 2013 11:54 pm
    but Mayor McCheese is Greg Nickels.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Forrest wrote...
    Good Luck Kevin!
    January 15, 2013 11:09 am
    If you're successful, you'll save Seattle taxpayers a lot of dough.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Dericksh wrote...
    @ forrest
    January 15, 2013 11:17 am
    Uneducated comment. THERE IS NO TAX PAYER MONEY INVOLVED JESUS READ THE FACTS BEFORE YOU MAKE MORONIC COMMENTS
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • maplefish wrote...
    Forrest is
    January 15, 2013 1:08 pm
    One of the most ill-informed people who post on this site. He doesn't care about the other incredibly stupid ways our state and local governments waste money. And as usual, doesn't bother to pay any attention to FACTS before he spews his ignorance for all the world to see....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Dericksh wrote...
    I would say so!
    January 15, 2013 1:23 pm
    He probably never tries to defend his comments when he is proven wrong too then haha
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Forrest wrote...
    @Dericksh
    January 15, 2013 4:37 pm
    "JESUS READ THE FACTS" Jesus died 2013 years ago. And you call me a moron. Perhaps you should learn what a period, and a comma is.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • soo purletiv wrote...
    @ Forrest
    January 15, 2013 6:06 pm
    "Jesus died 2013 years ago"

    So you are saying he was either -1 when he died?... ;-}

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Forrest wrote...
    @soo purletiv
    January 15, 2013 7:44 pm
    I thought AD meant "after death" as in after the death of Jesus. I could be wrong since I only have a High School diploma. Maybe you could enlighten me.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • soo purletiv wrote...
    @ Forrest
    January 15, 2013 8:45 pm
    No problem.

    AD, which has nothing to do with the widely accepted translation "After Dead/Death", actually is the Latin term for Anno Domini which is translated roughly "In The Year Of The Lord."

    Many modern day scholars use the terms BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era) instead of BC and AD to avoid this confusion.

    Since there was no such thing as a 0 (zero) year at the time Jesus was born, if Jesus died 2013 years ago, as you had suggested, he would have died before he was born, in 1 BCE.

    It can be confusing I know, but once you delve into it and ignore the zero year, it all make sense.

    BTW: I wasn't being a smart axx when I responded to your previous comment. That is why I put the ;-} emoticon immediately following my comment...

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Forrest wrote...
    Indeed you are correct.
    January 16, 2013 7:12 am
    I looked it up myself after I posted.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ted Bundi wrote...
    "has approval from the commissioner of the NBA"
    January 15, 2013 12:41 pm
    thugs... why can't we just get a few boys to play basketball here. We don't need the NBA to sanction us.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Roark wrote...
    Maybe futile in the end or maybe not, but...
    January 15, 2013 1:59 pm
    how nice would it have been to have had this kind of effort from Nichols when the Sonics left town?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rangerhawk wrote...
    A special deal
    January 15, 2013 3:18 pm
    In exchange for the team, Washington State would forcibly deport 50,000 retired Californians back to CA (Sacramento)over the next 5 years. Once there, they would then have to pay CA taxes on their pensions from CA. Everybody wins! (except the 50,000 of course)
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rangerhawk wrote...
    p.s.
    January 15, 2013 3:39 pm
    Isn't it about time mynothwest.com added a Sonics link to this site for all this Sonics stuff?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Lonestar wrote...
    What would Clay Bennett do?
    January 15, 2013 4:30 pm
    He would buy the team and really really promise to keep the team in Sacramento. Then he would move it anyways and get a medal from Commissioner Lardbutt.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • wrsawy12 wrote...
    NOPE
    January 15, 2013 5:01 pm
    Don't be fooled. The owners of the NBA would love nothing more then to add a very rich Mr. Ballmer to their little wine and cheese club. The whole thing stinks if you ask me. Yes, I want Hockey and basketball, big cities and sports go together. Franchises jumping from town to town is a big turn off.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    THERE IS NO TAX PAYER MONEY -
    January 15, 2013 5:16 pm
    who is backing the bond JESUS? CH Snake oil sales man could NOT_ do the "deal without the city". And the city is who? the 'taxpayers' - BINGO!! McCheese funny boy think We Americans are going to vote for you when you did not let Us Americans vote on the Arena? Ha Ha Ha!! Funny now the Key Arena can host a NBA team!! The joke is on the taxpayers and its not funny!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }