NBA Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed Tuesday that a bidding war is underway to bring the Sonics back to Seattle.
The league is targeting the 2028-2029 NBA season for the team’s potential return.
Samantha Holloway, the majority owner of the Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena, is the only known group to have publicly expressed interest in a Sonics bid. While a growing number of groups are now involved in the bidding process, fans in Seattle are reportedly experiencing some fatigue over the ongoing wait for official news regarding an NBA team’s return.
“I’ve seen [Detlef] Schrimpf play. I’ve seen Tom Chambers play,” longtime fan Jack Gerke said. “Broke my heart when DJ left. I’m going to start crying. Don’t get me started guys!”
Danny Ball of Iconic Sonics noted the prolonged discussions, saying, “It feels like I’ve been having the same conversations since March. We are more or less in the same standing…holding pattern of waiting for these guys to take a real vote on expansion.”
Holloway’s known interest, particularly given her ownership of the Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena, has been viewed by many fans as a logical fit for a potential NBA return.
However, when reached for comment regarding Commissioner Silver’s statements about the bidding war, Holloway’s spokesperson declined to comment at this time.
Despite the exhaustion from the protracted wait, fans maintain a degree of optimism.
“But there is a part of me that’s tired for sure. I would love to be talking about who we are hiring as a GM, whose going to be the head of basketball operations,” Ball said. “There’s an excitement there and we are almost in the home stretch. Get’em back by 28-29. That’ll be 20 years and pretty poetic.”
Commissioner Silver affirmed that the league should have answers regarding the expansion by the end of the year.
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