Seattle Needs A Team Because NBA Is Missing Out, Says 14-Year Vet

Last week, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan spoke with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. After the conversation, Silver was “pretty optimistic” that Seattle’s city moved toward land a franchise to replace the SuperSonics.
“It is very good news for the city of Seattle that they are thinking of an expansion team,” Durkan told Seattle TV station KING 5. “And I was honest with him. He knows Seattle wants to be at the front of the line. We’re where the team should be. But we will be respecting them as they move forward to their ownership because the [owners], you know, [have] to approve it.”
Last month, Silver announced that there is a possibility for NBA expansion.
“I think I’ve always said that it’s sort of the manifest destiny of the league that you expand at some point,” Silver said during his annual preseason availability with reporters. “I’d say it’s caused us to maybe dust off some of the analyses on the economic and competitive impacts of expansion. We’ve been putting a little bit more time into it than we were pre-pandemic. But certainly not to the point that expansion is on the front burner.”
Three years ago, when I spoke with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban shared that he could see expansion happening, but did say that he couldn’t pinpoint when it would happen. He also noted that Seattle is one of the cities at the top of the list.
Cuban also shared with Russell Wilson that he voted for the Sonics to stay in Seattle.
NBA players have always enjoyed the trip to Seattle when the Sonics were apart of the league, and former Dallas Maverick guard Devin Harris is no different.
“The city was always great, great food, great atmosphere, great fans,” said Harris.
He continued: “It was always a city you look forward to going to. I hope they get a team back because the NBA is missing out”
Kevin Durant has also been on the record saying that Seattle needs the Sonics back in the league.
“Since we left, I’ve been screaming that a team needs to go there,” said Durant two years ago.
We will see how things turn out.
Landon Buford is an accomplished sports and entertainment journalist based in Richardson, Texas, with over a decade of experience covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, WWE, MLB, and the entertainment industry. Known for delivering high-impact stories and headline-making interviews, Buford has earned a global audience through content that blends insider access with compelling storytelling.
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