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SuperSonics Might be Moving Out of Seattle

The majority owner of the Seattle SuperSonics, the Starbucks chairman, is not pleased with the city of Seattle. If improvements are not made to KeyArena combined with a new, more profitable lease with the city, the SuperSonics might be moving. After putting their request to the state Legislature for financial help on hold, a meeting is to take place on April 5 regarding the team`s future. With the Legislature adjourned until next year, the possibility of the Sonics being put up for sale is growing as political support in Seattle begins to wane and the team slogs through its third losing season in the last four.

When the Legislature adjourned, it left the organization dangling beneath a cloud of uncertainty and past Schultz`s self-imposed deadline for starting to look at other alternatives - a task handed to team president Wally Walker. If the team is sold, the Sonics could find themselves in Norfolk, Va., San Jose, Calif., Kansas City, Mo., or Oklahoma City when their lease with KeyArena expires in 2010.

There appear to be plenty of waiting suitors. On Feb. 1, Schultz said the team had been approached by an unnamed city and offered "a blank check" to move. The Sonics say they have lost about $60 million in the past five years and blame a revenue-sharing lease with the city of Seattle that lasts until 2010. NBA commissioner David Stern even made an appearance before legislators, testifying that the Sonics have the least-favorable lease agreement in the NBA.

Last month, Mayor Greg Nickels said the city is preparing for the possibility that the Sonics might leave KeyArena, and things do not look promising for the Seattle fans, We will have to wait for the April 5th meeting to know more about the SuperSonics` future.