The Seattle Supersonics are closer than ever to coming back!

Prior to Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver joined Tom Giles, Brian Scalabrine and Eddie House on Celtics pregame live to chat about a host of things, including media rights, streaming, Caitlin Clark, and, most importantly, NBA expansion. On this topic, he said once the media rights deals are officially signed, a WSJ report had the figure at 11-years for about $76 billion dollars, then the league will switch their attention towards expansion. He specifically mentioned Seattle and Las Vegas as the two expansion cities, but also brought up interest in Mexico City. The 30 NBA Governors must approve the deals before any announcement can be made.

The deal can be broken down like this:

-Comcast/NBC will pay an average of $2.5 billion dollars for 100 games split between NBC and Peacock

-Amazon will pay an average of $1.8 billion dollars for a mix of regular season, early playoffs, in-season tournament, and play-in games, as well as a share of the conference finals

-Disney/ESPN will pay an average of $2.6 billion dollars to retain their right to air games, and will keep the NBA Finals, even with NBC pushing hard to secure the June showcase. ESPN will have less games in the future, but can show those games exclusively on their upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service.

If you’re a longtime NBA watcher, you’ll notice the lack of a certain company; Warner/TNT.

TNT’s Inside the NBA hosted by Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal is by far the best, and most entertaining pre and postgame show in sports. The way those guys keep it light-hearted, while being pointedly critical, when necessary, is unparalleled. The quartet’s chemistry can’t be replicated, which is why it will be a shame when the show comes to an end at the end of the 2024/25 NBA season.

If this makes you upset, blame David Zaslav. As the head of Warner Bros. Discovery, he had the ability to hold talks over a potential deal with Adam Silver and the NBA. During the exclusive negotiating window, prior the the rights being open to bid on, the NBA presented Warner with a deal to keep the right for $2.2 billion dollars annually. Zaslav balked at the price in relation to value and declined. Amazon and Comcast/NBC pounced immediately. Now, after 35-years, it looks like TNT will be outside the NBA. Which is too bad because it would’ve been awesome to see the crew talk about the Sonics return, and maybe come to a game.

While pro basketball looks set to return to Seattle, a few hurdles still remain.

1. Expansion isn’t cheap, with a reported cost of $3-5 billion dollars. Who’s the local billionaire or group willing to pony up the funds?
2. The original Sonics left for Oklahoma City after a messy dispute involving Key Arena and it’s long-term viability. Will the new Sonics play there temporarily or permanently, or will they receive a brand-new arena located elsewhere in the city? And who will pay for it?
3. Will people care and invest their time & money into the team? The Sonics left after the 2007/08 season, that’s 16 years since pro basketball was last played in Seattle. How David Stern, Howard Schultz and the NBA acted up to, and after, the Sonics moved left such a bad taste in many people’s mouths that a lot of them swore off the NBA for good.

Let’s not count our chickens before they’ve hatched, but pro basketball is coming back to Seattle, as long as the first two requirements are met: a Governor willing to spend and a place to play. Keep your eyes peeled for an official announcement (maybe between the end of the NBA Finals and before the NBA Draft) because once the deals are signed, it’s all systems go for expansion! For all the fans who never gave up hope, our day is coming! Bring Back Our Sonics!