NBA commissioner David Stern confirmed Tuesday he knows about an investor's attempt to return a team to Seattle. He also said he would support a team in Seattle "if they have a building".
The comment was in response asked by the Salt Lake Tribune:
"Everyone says to us, ‘Well, would you consider going back?' Of course, if they have a building. And so that's where it's left. We have no involvement," Stern said. "But we certainly are — if anyone asks us, we tell them what we know and we're happy to talk to them. … There's no shortage of potential sites, but the funding is a huge issue." - Salt Lake Tribune
The funding is why the Seattle SuperSonics left in 2008. KeyArena was unsuitable for an NBA franchise and city voters didn't pony up the cash to fix it.
The Seattle Times reported last Friday that Christopher Hansen, a manager of a hedge fund, has been working with Seattle for the past several months to build a new arena south of Safeco Field.
Seattle's hopes, however, seem to lie with whether the Sacramento Kings live or die in California. Stern told the Tribune the franchise has worked some things out, including adding more parking and working out the necessary financing. They have until March 1 to get everything worked out.
