March 6 video: Last-ditch effort to save Sonics

Larger screen

OLYMPIA, Wash. - The city of Seattle Thursday unveiled a last-ditch effort to save the SuperSonics.

But while the plan may be the talk of Seattle, nobody is talking about it in the state capitol.

Under Mayor Greg Nickels' plan, KeyArena would undergo a $300 million renovation and a group of local businessmen would buy the Sonics from owner Clay Bennett.

But the state governor says the team is not for sale. And with only six days left in legislative session, one lawmaker says the plan is "as dead as a flat basketball."

"I think it's deader than a doornail in this one," said Rep. Richard Debolt. "When the speaker says no, there's no way around that."

Investors interested in buying the team include Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, Costco Wholesale Corp. Chief Executive Jim Sinegal, wireless entrepreneur John Stanton, and Seattle developer Matt Griffin.

Under the city's proposal, the group would pay for $150 million in upgrades at KeyArena, and taxpayers would cover the other half -- with $75 million coming from Seattle and $75 million coming from existing state taxes.

To make that happen, the state legislature would have to approve extending the restaurant and car rental taxes that are now paying for Safeco Field.

"If we don't do this, and we look two or three years down the road, and we have KeyArena without an anchor tenant, we as a community are still going to have to step in and do something for KeyArena," Griffin said.

But the team's current owner, Clay Bennett, says the team isn't for sale, according to Governor Chris Gregoire.

"I am encouraged that we can hopefully be able to get another NBA team in Washington state and I'll do everything I can, if it's at all possible, to have that team named the Sonics," she said.

She emphasizes that it won't be this session. There's no time.

While former senator Slade Gorton, acting as a broker, says the governor was tipped off about the deal three weeks ago, the governor says no one would come forward and say who was part of the plan.

"This week I got the names of those folks," she said.

KING

With only six days left in the legislative session, one lawmaker says the plan is "as dead as a flat basketball."

This isn't the first last-ditch effort to keep a pro sports team in Seattle.

When the Pilots were sold off to Milwaukee after one year in Seattle, it took a five-year court fight to bring the Mariners to town. A couple years later when the Mariners wanted out of the Kingdome, they hinted again they could be leaving.

And the Seahawks did leave town for southern California with plans to play in the Rose Bowl.

The moving vans finally moved back of course. Paul Allen stepped up to buy the team.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)