Commentary: Seattle NBA fans want team, not rumors

When the NBA and its players association reached a new collective bargaining agreement in 2023, a Sonics return was rumored to be around the corner. When the NBA struck an 11-year, $76 billion media-rights deal with Disney, Comcast and Amazon in 2024, a Sonics return was rumored to be around the corner. When then-Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said he had an announcement to make at his annual State of the City address last February and pulled out a basketball from behind his lectern — delivering a tone-deaf joke — a Sonics return was rumored to be around the corner. When sales of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics were finalized last summer, settling two problematic pieces of financial business, a Sonics return was rumored to be around the corner. When NBA commissioner Adam Silver tasked committees with exploring expansion and its effects last July, a Sonics return was rumored to be around the corner. If this all reads as repetitive, well, that's the point. For years, Sonics fans have been fed rumors and hurdles, forced to repeat a predictable Groundhog Day. This maddening merry-go-round — Board of Governors meetings, owners meetings, news conferences, carefully prepared statements, reports, teases, compliments, committees and undue delays — has ground their patience into dust. On a circular track, even steps forward bring you back. Meanwhile, is the corner getting closer? Is there a corner at all? That remains to be seen. But in December, Silver announced during the NBA Cup in Las Vegas that the league would decide in 2026 whether to expand. In his annual All-Star Game news conference last weekend, the 63-year-old commissioner outlined additional steps. "I think in fairness to the cities, Seattle and Las Vegas in particular, I've been very clear. I don't want to tease cities or mislead anyone," Silver said. "We wanted to get through collective bargaining, national television deals. We've done that, and now we've turned to (expansion) as a league. "My sense is, at the March board of governors meetings, we'll be having further discussions around the expansion process. We won't be voting at the March meeting. But we will likely come out of those meetings ready, prepared to take a next step in terms of potentially talking to interested parties." I don't think Silver wanted to intentionally tease or mislead anyone. But the fact is, this frustrated, starving, unserved fan base has been subjected to a years-long, continual tease. A merry-go-round march back to the beginning. Postponements disguised as progress. Deflating déjà vu. The decision deadline is encouraging. But even now, nothing is guaranteed. On his podcast last week, Bill Simmons noted that there's "a big coalition" of NBA owners against expansion. The league is also facing intensifying tanking issues, which likely wouldn't be solved by adding two more teams. The NBA is involved in launching a league in Europe as well, taking time and attention from the task of domestic expansion. Then there's the issue of actual ownership. Kraken majority owner Samantha Holloway has expressed interest in bringing the NBA back to Seattle, with games played at Climate Pledge Arena. Is that still the case? Could other bidders potentially compete? And if the Sonics resurface, would that trigger broader conference realignment as well? Given the above, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania cautioned last week that expansion basketball is "still a few years away from taking place." If, that is, the corner ever arrives. If rumors and reports become reality. But new carrots keep dangling every day. Like this from Dallas Morning News NBA reporter Brad Townsend, who tweeted Feb. 8: "Think it's going to be an extra-great year for Seattle. I'm hearing NBA Board of Governors likely to vote on expanding by two teams this summer and Las Vegas and Seattle are favored." Or Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson's introductory conversation with Silver, which raised antennas during Super Bowl week. Speaking of which: Seattle's bona fides as a sports city are beyond dispute. Of late, they've also been on display — via a euphoric, overflowing Super Bowl parade; via a thunderous return to October baseball at T-Mobile Park; via attendance records for the Torrent's Professional Women's Hockey League home opener and the Sounders' Leagues Cup triumph over Inter Miami CF. As Basketball Hall of Famer Reggie Miller said on "The Dan Patrick Show" last week when told Las Vegas is a "foregone conclusion" to receive a team: "I think Seattle is a foregone conclusion. It never should have left Seattle in the first place. It is a great fan base, as we just witnessed on Super Bowl Sunday, how they travel and how they've been for their football team." Or, as former Sonics coach George Karl tweeted more bluntly: "This time better not be bull (expletive). Bad karma to keep messing around with great sports cities like Seattle!!" So far, foregone conclusions and karma haven't helped this city clear the corner. Sonics fans want their team, not another tease. But merit doesn't matter on the merry-go-round. The only thing we want to know is when we'll get off.