Sonics nearing a move to Oklahoma City

From: The Sports Point

The SuperSonics reached a preliminary agreement with Oklahoma City on a 15 year lease at the Ford Center, which would include paying more than $2 million annually to the city and for naming rights. Although this is a big step in moving the team from Seattle, NBA team owners will still have to approve the deal, and the team would also have to be released from its current lease.

> "Other steps to come in the future will include the board of governors acting on the relocation agreement and finally, the resolution of the lease agreement in Seattle," Jim Couch, city manager in Oklahoma City, told MyNorthwest.com.

The 15-year agreement has an exit clause if attendance falls after the first two years. Sonics one step closer to Okla. (MyNorthwest.com)

Tyrone BriggsHall of Famer

476 days ago

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The moving trucks have already been rented. This is a done deal. Sorry Seattle.

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LASportsblogAAA-er

476 days ago

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Like I've written in the Burns twice, Seattle let the Sonics walk, it's their own damn fault

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The PipDiv-I Stud

476 days ago

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Sports divorces are always take 2 to tango, but there is so much money involved that a city should not be building stadiums. The team is going from a place where they can be profitable to a place that they will not be profitable. There is enough local money to have bought the team if any of them had cared enough. The city that's HQ to 2 major corporations (Microsoft and Starbucks) surely has enough local rich people to have bought the team and kept them in town.

It's always sad when teams like this move, but local people need to care to stop it. Case in point: Bob Kraft and the Pats. The team was already headed to St Louis and there was already a local Budweiser boycott going on, then Kraft stepped up, bought the team and kept them in town.

Don't blame the current owners, don't blame the city. Blame local businessmen for not stepping up. Especially in a city where the team can be profitable.

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LASportsblogAAA-er

476 days ago

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Have you thought about the fact that the City of Seattle publicly funded 2 stadiums before denying the Sonics a new staidum or full redevelopment of Key Arena? This is the cities fault, they have blackballed the Sonics out of town. When you've built stadiums for the Ms and Seahawks and tell the Sonics to go build their own arena, you've showed them you don't want them anymore. So the Sonics went and found someone who does. As I mentioned in the most detail here

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Cougar2000All-American

475 days ago

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If they leave, the Sonics may go on several conditions that the city of Seattle should set.

1. They leave everything that has the Seattle Supersonics logo on it. Nothing (and I mean NOTHING!) is to leave Seattle, not even letterhead, envelopes. If so much as a paper clip is gone, they'll get sued. It's like the Browns leaving to go to Baltimore.

2. All personnel that work for the team that do not want to go to the new city should be offered a fair and modest severance package and/or unemployment benefits. This does not cover seasonal workers (ushers, ticket takers, concession workers, stats crew).

3. The new team plays two games in Seattle during the regular season.

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LASportsblogAAA-er

475 days ago

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everything but number 3 is good. Having the team come back would be like thumbing your nose at supersonics fans. That would be quite wrong.

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TrizzAll-American

475 days ago

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Oklahoma City Sonics...jus doesnt sound right

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