Bennett restarts arena talks, puts Seattle on notice

If a suitable arena project in greater Seattle is not approved by Oct. 31, Seattle SuperSonics chairman Clay Bennett has said he intends to file for relocation to Oklahoma City on Nov. 1.

A year and a day after leading a new ownership group to buy the team — and after getting "no traction” toward building a new arena — a frustrated Bennett is calling for prompt action from the political, business and civic leadership of Seattle, King County and the state of Washington.

"Basically, I'm pounding the table, reiterating everything we've said to date,” Bennett said.

Bennett confirmed if he does file for relocation, he will request moving the Sonics to Oklahoma City and would not propose relocating to previously mentioned locales Kansas City, Las Vegas, Anaheim and San Jose.

On Thursday, Bennett requested a meeting with Seattle mayor Greg Nickels to reaffirm his city will lose its team unless an acceptable multi-purpose facility is approved within the next 15 weeks.

Nickels told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer he would "absolutely” meet with Bennett to discuss the Sonics' future.

In a deal publicly announced July 18, 2006, Bennett's group purchased the Sonics and the WNBA Storm for $350 million.

As part of the transaction that closed on Oct. 31, 2006, a one-year deadline was set to develop a suitable replacement for KeyArena, which is the NBA's smallest arena and a facility Bennett repeatedly has described as inadequate.

On April 16, the Washington state legislature formally tabled a proposal that would have publicly helped fund a $500-million arena in the Seattle suburb of Renton, where Bennett offered to purchase a 21.2-acre parcel of land for the project.

Approximately $350 million would have come from tax money, most of it from extending tourism taxes that already exist.

"We were disappointed with the results at the Legislature and further disappointed at the lack of progress since the end of the session,” Bennett said in a statement released Thursday morning. "We now invite the leadership of the Seattle area to re-engage on this issue.”

Bennett re-emphasized his group's priority is to keep the Sonics and Storm in the Seattle area.

"However, this can only be achieved through the development of a new state-of-the-art, multi-purpose facility,” Bennett's statement read. "The issue is clear and simple, does the leadership of the region wish to retain its professional basketball teams? If so, serious productive discussions must commence at once. If not, as owners we must consider all of our options in regaining the financial viability of the business.”

Bennett said he has been surprised at the lack of action from the greater Seattle area and state officials to keep the franchise. There has been little contact from potential private suitors.

"Everybody in Seattle has my business card,” said Bennett, who estimates he has made 25 trips to Seattle. "I'm wide open, and that's precisely the question: Do you want the NBA, or not?”

The Sonics' lease with the city of Seattle and KeyArena runs through September 2010. Bennett said he would listen to offers concerning a KeyArena renovation, but still does not believe the arena would be a profitable venue in the NBA.

Asked if the upcoming meeting with Nickels might include negotiating out of the lease, Bennett told the Seattle Times, "Anything and everything is on the table.”

Bennett told the Times he would not break the lease without some sort of settlement and added, "We will not be moving in the middle of the night.”

Bennett previously told The Oklahoman, "If it comes to that, we would work within the document to negotiate a fair settlement.”

Upon learning of potential lease negotiations, the Save Our Sonics & Storm organization in Seattle asked for Nickels to refuse an early buyout offer and pleaded for supporters to contact the mayor's office by phone and e-mail.