The Sonics Saga – Will NBA Basketball Ever Return to Seattle?

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The NBA wants to expand, and talks seem to be garnering interest in Seattle. Might this mean that it is time for the Sonics to come back to Seattle?

The year was 2008 when grief filled the hearts of Seattle NBA fans as there would be no more SuperSonics. The team had been a successful one over the years, having had a competitive mid-1990s and early 2000s. You’ll know of players like Gary Payton, Ray Allen, and Shawn Kemp, just to name a few. The era was just golden.

After the Sonics' departure, the people of Washington state would see a long drought without a pro NBA team. Different industries were affected, including sports betting. It’s no wonder that with the talks surrounding Seattle being a prime consideration for an expansion, sports betting conversations in the state are getting louder. In fact, if you are searching for a place to place wagers if the deal substantiates, you can even discover more on betting.us as you consider various sports betting Washington locations.

But what really happened? How come the team disappeared from the league within just a few years?

From Sonics to Thunder

It wouldn’t be very wrong to say that the state of Washington was responsible for the departure of the Sonics from Seattle. For many years, the majority shareholder of the team, Howard Shultz, had been in constant negotiations with the state for funds to improve the KeyArena, home of the SuperSonics. However, the negotiations bore no fruit, and at the end of the 2005-06 season, Schultz and his partners decided to sell the franchise to a group of entrepreneurs from Oklahoma City.

Even though Schultz had said that the original plan was for the team to remain in the city, the new owner, Clay Bennett, failed to reach an agreement with the city of Seattle to build a new arena. From that, the best thing to do was to move to Oklahoma, where the team changed names from the SuperSonics to the Oklahoma City Thunder. This was because the colors and name (SuperSonics) were reserved for a new team that would be a replacement.

Ooh, So Close!

After the Sonics left, Seattle came close to getting a new team between 2012 and 2013. A group of entrepreneurs (led by Chris Hansen and including Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer) wanted to buy the Sacramento Kings and move them to Seattle. After buying a majority of the stake in the Kings from the Maloof family, the partners set off the relocation process.

However, the city of Sacramento fought back and decided to find other entrepreneurs who were willing to keep the team in Sacramento. After an NBA board decision meeting in 2013, most owners voted for the Kings to remain in Sacramento. A few days later, the Maloof family had an agreement with another group of entrepreneurs, led by Vivek Randive (previous minority owner of the Golden State Warriors), and the team remained in the city.

But now, Seattle has yet to get another team, but with what is happening now, there might be a shot at it. Also, KeyArena was upgraded, with the NBA returning to the state for some major games.

The Expansion Might Be the Answer

The NBA is thinking of expanding the league from 30 to 32 teams. Discussions are underway, and enthusiasm is building up. In an interview on SiriusXM satellite radio, the NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, mentioned that Seattle was a major candidate for a new team.

The NBA board of governors will decide where they would want to have the new teams. Having two extra teams, instead of one, will ensure that the game schedules are balanced and that they align with the conferences. However, the expansion would need to take between 2.5 and three years from bid to the beginning of play. And anyway, it also depends on the availability of an arena that the NBA finds appropriate.

Is Seattle Ready?

The city is ready. Unlike in 2008 when the Sonics left KeyArena, there is a much better arena in its place. The current Climate Pledge Arena (name was changed from KeyArena) is built for NBA specs with the anticipation that the Sonics will come back.

The Arena has been holding NBA preseason games and is already home to the WNBA’s Storm. In the spring of 2025, the first and second rounds of March Madness were played there. The only thing missing so far is the Sonics team. In fact, the CEO of the NHL’s Kraken, Tod Leiweke, said on KJR Radio that they did a study that highlighted that their sight lines were better than two of the four NBA-only arenas.

Leiweke also stated that he and his partners were ready to build an NBA team’s training center. And the Mayor of Seattle is in agreement. In fact, he has been touting for some while.

The anticipation for the return of the Sonics is grandiose. The city or state would probably have done something in 2008 to avoid the departure of the team, but it doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is that the city is now well able to be home to an even bigger Seattle SuperSonics, based on the preparations it has made. If the expansion happens as anticipated, then you can be sure that Seattle will give its all to see the former glory restored.

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