[HitsterParticipant]

 With the possible breakdown of the deal regarding Sacramento’s new arena, you have to wonder where the franchise now stands. The team’s owners the Maloofs have certainly been cast as the villains of the piece after all the hard work that Mayor Kevin Johnson had done to try and secure the team’s future in his city.

 

 

 

 Although it is widely regarded that the Kings have some of the most passionate fans in the NBA, with low attendances in an ageing arena, the Franchise was not looking commercially viable to remain in the city. Even with the boost that Jimmer-mania brought to the franchise commercially, the team is probably still losing money and now the Maloofs don’t want to stump up associated costs with the new arena.

 

 

 

 Unlike the New Orleans saga when the NBA ended up as team owners, the League would hope to take a more backward seat in this ongoing event unless they desperately want to keep the team in Sacramento as either the Maloofs move the team or they sell up to a new owner who would also likely relocate the team. I’m sure that Commissioner Stern would love for the franchise to remain in Sacramento especially given Mayor Johnson’s efforts but he cannot really use league money on any arena deal as otherwise any team wanting to upgrade their arena could start coming to the league for subsidies.

 

 

 

 The real losers here could be the people of Sacramento, unlike other cities, they don’t have an NFL, MLB or NHL franchise also in the city to fall back on and I’m sure that Mayor Johnson is well aware of this, if the Kings go then the city loses a lot of prestige and a lot of people will lose their jobs at the Arco Arena. The Maloof’s could well get offers and incentives from other cities to relocate or they might look to sell up to a new owner and take the money and run. With the Hornets being sold for a decent price, the Maloofs may well feel they can get a good price for the kings especially as they have a young developing roster and likely high draft pick in a couple of months.

 

 

 

 The conspiracy theorists amongst you could well point out that the chances of the Kings getting the top pick may be very good this year if it helps the team to remain in the city and to reward all the hard work that Mayor Johnson has put in.

 

 

 

 With NOH now having been sold, if the Kings come into play then I’d guess the likely bidders could be Anaheim as has been mentioned before but would they attract bigger crowds being so close to GSW and especially the two LA teams at the Staples Centre. There was news recently that a consortium in Seattlewas trying to get a team back there and revive the Sonics name, they will no doubt be waiting especially with NOH now having been sold. Also there was a consortium fronted by Mike Dunleavy Snr amongst others looking to buy the Hornets and it had been rumoured prior to that deal that Dunleavy had this consortium together and they were looking at possible targets.

 

 

 

 I wonder if the Dunleavy consortium could be Sacramento’s white night as no doubt Mayor Johnson would reach out to Dunleavy as a fellow basketball man and try to get them to agree to the deal that the Maloofs have turned down regarding the arena. If Dunleavy’s consortium are getting a good deal from the city ofSacramento and maybe extract an extra concession or two , it would make good econoimic sense for them to leave the franchise in the city as well as being great PR for them. With the unpopular Maloofs gone then the King’s attendances could start to rise again as the fans show the new owners they will support the team. This makes the team more economically viable and with the new Arena to come, the local economy will do well, the owners have a good investment and it does Mayor Johnson’s standing no harm.

 

 

 

[Pro 1Participant]

I think the Kings are done in Sacramento time to move to either Seattle or Vancouver, BC (already has NBA facility ready for next season and owners willing to buy).

[TomShoeParticipant]

 Hopefully the Kings can go to an owner who really appreciates them.

DeMarcus cousins is seen packing up when the team moves to Seattle:

[hoodwinkParticipant]

As a lifelong Sacramentan, a season ticket holder, and someone who had attended all of the city council meetings and followed every article, tweet, conference and interview, I feel I can maybe clear up a couple misconceptions and provide a local perspective.

1) The team was one of the very few that MADE money last year. How? For the third consecutive season they had the league’s lowest payroll. Kevin Johnson also secured 10 million dollars in additional corporate sponsorships that were not there before, which is a testament to the poor job by the ownership and sales team. Also, upon news of a return to Sacramento and with the hope of a long-term solution, gate receipts soared.

Also, they will very likely AGAIN make money this year. Why is that likely? One reason is the revenue sharing negotiated during the lockout. Another is that, per SI’s Sam Amick, the Kings season ticket holders renewed at a rate that is top 5 in the NBA even amidst the awful arena antics of ownership.

2) The Maloofs maintain they will not sell, but if that were to change, Ron Burkle (billionaire owner of NHL’s Penguins) has indicated heavy interest. A Burkle representative attended last year’s Board of Governor’s meeting with Kevin Johnson. Furthermore, KJ claims to have a backup buyer as well, and both options would happily agree to current arena terms as negotiated by the NBA, AEG and city.

3) Anaheim just won’t happen. For obvious reasons a third team in one market does not make sense, but more importantly it would set the precedent that franchises could move into the territories of established markets, divide and diminish revenue. Owners showed last year that will be voted down. It simply does not make sense for the betterment of the league and owners.

4) There is zero doubt that the NBA wants the team to remain in Sacramento after spending much money and resources to see it happen before the Maloofs renegged in the last moments. Stern mocked the Maloofs press conference saying "well… (careful pause) it wasn’t the weirdest we’ve seen" before lauding Sacramento for executing every single item that was asked of them.

The league was gifting 7 million dollars to the project and loaning the Maloofs the remaining 67 million. Common NBA arena partner AEG also offered an inordinately high construction contribution, but was another partner of the NBA that the Maloofs essentially slapped in the face. It’s a bad look when cities and large entertainment enterprises front a vast majority of capital construction costs, but can’t reach a deal with an NBA team. Stern is quite aware of this, for what it’s worth. The question is whether the BOG accept a relocation bid to send the team out of Sacramento, who has been a good and willing participant… and shown to be a highly viable economic environment when the team has owners that actually invest in the product, rather than function with the lowest acceptable investment possible over a several year span.

[boffacheeriosParticipant]

Vancouver? I’m pretty confident the NBA will never be back in Vancouver. Before the move they had extremely low attendance and their owner was losing a lot of money. Vancouver would be the last place any team would choose to relocate.

[Pro 1Participant]

Vancouver has upgraded their Corporate infrastructure dramatically since then plus the Canadian dollar is on par with the US dollar now.

It’s actually at the top of the list given the arena is already in place as are willing owners.

Then move the Bobcats or Pacers to Seattle.

[B EazyParticipant]

Seattle? Or bring back the Kansas City Kings? (sounds dope to me)

[What The DevilParticipant]

 I hate the Maloofs…

[HitsterParticipant]

 Thanks for the feedback and additional comments Hoodwink. I was surprised to learn that the Kings do make money although as you say, the low salary level is probably a major factor. The attendances have gone up in recent seasons after reaching a low about 3 years ago and are now back up to the 2008 level. If the Kings get competitive again then they will no doubt be able to fill out their arena, so this is why a new arena is go important as it will bring in so much extra money with more premium seats and better hospitality, corporate boxes etc.

It seems that the Maloofs will not speculate to accumulate as the nw arena would surely bring increased profits but hopefully someone will step in and make an offer for the team to allow it to remain in Sacamento.

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