It's been a couple days since the NBA Relocation Committee unanimously rejected the proposed relocation of the Sacramento Kings to Seattle. The 7-0 recommendation likely ended the hopes of Seattle acquiring the Kings franchise, although Chris Hansen vowed not to give up, saying he would explore the "many options" available to him.
Well, it looks like we're starting to see the route Seattle is going to take. According to Reuters, Hansen and the Maloofs may try to convince the NBA Board of Governors to approve the sale of the Kings to Hansen's group anyway.
The idea, this source said, would be for Hansen to persuade NBA owners to support his efforts to buy the team, even if they do not immediately allow him to move it.
Under the NBA's rules, a decision to relocate a team is separate from a decision to sell a team. So under this scenario, the league could support its committee's recommendation against moving the Kings to Seattle, while still supporting the Hansen group's efforts to purchase it.
The league could require Hansen to work in good faith with the city of Sacramento to try to keep the team there, setting a deadline for the construction of a new arena and working to keep attendance high at the games.
But if the arena wasn't built according to the schedule, or if attendance slipped at the games, Hansen could apply again for permission to move the team - and it could be more likely to be granted, this source said.