[Vorkunov] Kraken owner Samantha Holloway is the leading contender to bring the NBA back to Seattle. However, Las Vegas’ expansion has higher offers and will be prioritized, with losing bidders potentially pivoting to Seattle. Expansion could also be delayed to 2029 due to Vegas needing a new arena.
The frontrunner to own the new Seattle NBA expansion team has been revealed.
According to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, Samantha Holloway, owner of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, is considered the leading contender to bring the SuperSonics back.
Per earlier reports, the Las Vegas expansion team will be prioritized over a Seattle franchise, with a livelier bidding market, higher offers, and the logistical challenge of developing a new arena factoring into the process.
The runners-up for the Las Vegas franchise could eventually bid for the Seattle team.
With bids expected to reach at least \(12 billion to \)13 billion, three finalist groups have emerged for the Las Vegas franchise: Nancy Walton Laurie and Bill Laurie; Steve Apostolopoulos and Marc Lasry; and Bill Foley and Jerry Colangelo.
According to Mike Vorkunov, a potential NBA expansion franchise in Las Vegas could debut in the 2029-30 season rather than 2028-29, pushing back the timeline by one year.
“The league had initially hoped to have its new expansion franchises begin play during the 2028-29 season – if it added ones in Las Vegas and Seattle – but it has explored whether a Sin City team could debut in 2029-30 instead, though that is just a discussion at this point,” Vorkunov reports.
Source: https://basketnews.com/news-256625-frontrunner-to-bring-back-seattle-supersonics-revealed.html