Kevin Calabro is cautiously optimistic about NBA’s return to Seattle

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Reports that the city of Seattle has been working behind the scenes for the past eight months with a wealthy hedge-fund manager to bring an NBA team back to town was welcome news for Seattle fans still mourning the loss of the SuperSonics. But Kevin Calabro, the former voice of the team, says there are a lot of things that need to come together to make this happen.

The latest NBA-return fever started when The Seattle Times reported Sunday that a Seattle native who now lives in San Francisco — 44-year-old hedge-fund manager Christopher Hansen — approached the city about his desire to buy an NBA team and build an arena south of Safeco Field.

Steve Kelley, with The Seattle Times, appeared on 710 ESPN’s Bob & Groz Show on Monday and said a deal is 70 percent likely.

Listen to Steve Kelley on with Bob & Groz

Beyond the potential arena deal, the report also said there’s potential for an NBA team to be back in Seattle as early as next fall, if the Sacramento Kings fail to get a satisfactory deal for a new arena.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn said that he’s feeling the excitment from the community about the potential of bringing an NBA team back to Seattle, but he said he can’t put a timeline on it.

“Clearly there is a lot of excitement,” said McGinn, “but we also recognize that we’re in a tough budget time, and there are folks who have expressed skepticism as well.”

Listen to Seattle mayor Mike McGinn

Meanwhile, Calabro said he thinks moving the Kings to Seattle will be more difficult than people anticipate.

“I still find it hard to believe that this is going to be as easy as people paint it to be,” Calabro tells 97.3 KIRO FM’s Ross and Burbank Show. “The one thing people have to keep in mind is the commissioner is fully behind keeping the team in Sacramento.”

Listen to Kevin Calabro on Ross and Burbank

Sacramento is under a March 1 deadline to come up with a viable proposal to build an arena for the Kings. Calabro admits there is a lot for them to pull together, but he thinks if there’s positive movement, they’ll maintain the support of NBA Commissioner David Stern.

“If they are making any progress toward getting a building, he is going to stay behind this push in Sacramento, I’m convinced.”

Stern told The Salt Lake City Tribune on Tuesday, that he is aware of the recent efforts in Seattle, and still thinks the area is a “great” place for the league. But two issues still loom large: A new arena and funding.

Calabro says financier Hansen will have to get creative.

“They’ve got to do this without public money, there’s no question about that.”

Hansen reportedly told city officials in one email that an arena could be built with minimal impact on taxpayers.

McGinn told 710 ESPN’s Kevin Calabro Show that the City of Seattle has put themselves in a position to move as quickly as they can, as long as investors commit.

97.3 KIRO FM Sports Director Bill Swartz agrees any effort to get a team in Seattle is unlikely to see significant public funding, but “the political climate seems to be changing.”

“I think there’s a little more willingness, not to throw public tax money at it, but at least to be receptive to some ideas, how can we swap land, how can we move this and that,” says Swartz. “There are properties down here in south downtown that could be sold and make it a site for an NHL/NBA arena.”

Listen to Bill Swartz chime in on prospect of NBA returning to Seattle

Calabro says for the Sacramento prospect, they have two significant deadlines. On Feb. 14, Calabro says they’ll be taking bids on city parking to be privatized in hopes of raising $200 million toward a new arena. Then on March 1, they have to answer to a NBA deadline outlining the full plan to fund and construct a new arena, a project Calabro says is estimated at $400 million.

“That first deadline is going to be interesting,” he says.

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By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor
The Associated Press contributed to this report.