Despite an offer on the table for the Sacramento Kings to move to Anaheim next season, the Los Angeles Times is reporting the team is likely to stay at Power Balance Arena next season to give Mayor Kevin Johnson time to bring his new-arena plan to fruition.
Johnson laid out a plan for a new downtown arena as well as pledges by local businesses to support the team, which suffers from low revenues generated by a small market.
“Mayor Johnson made certain representations about community support that he had secured,” NBA Commissioner David Stern told the Times. “The committee thought it would be prudent to send an NBA task force out to Sacramento to verify those commitments.
“And that is now what’s being done.”
An NBA relocation committee reviewed the Johnson proposal and pledges and were sufficiently impressed to report back to Stern the area was still a viable NBA market.
By contrast, the Maloofs and the Sacramento Bee are not so sure. And the Times may be relying in sources with an axe to grind: neither the Lakers or Clippers front offices are happy about the move of the Kings to the market.
RELATED STORIES: Kings relo app deadline pushed back to May 2; Anaheim to discuss aid for Kings; Maloofs shoot down Arco refurb; Kings: From boom to bust; With Kings eying Anaheim, Johnson vows to continue arena quest; Maloofs sell naming rights to arena; admit to looking at moving NBA’s Kings; Johnson: We’ll take another run at new Kings arena; NBA: We’re done with Sacramento arena efforts; Consultant: It makes no sense to move Cal Expo as part of arena project; Maloof: We’re not looking at move to Seattle; Size of Arco Arena site threatens Kings arena deal
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