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Why progress on NBA media-rights deals means the Sonics’ return to Seattle is ‘heating up’

The trigger the NBA’s chief has said will “very likely” lead to expansion is closer to triggering. That means it’s becoming the Sonics’ return to Seattle is becoming more real. More real. But, The News Tribune was told Thursday, not necessarily imminent. Negotiations are ongoing with broadcast networks and streaming platforms on new NBA media-rights deals. They reportedly could be worth up to $79 billion over 11 years. That’s three times what the league’s current media rights are worth. Those current right expire in 2025. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported NBC is looking to re-acquire broadcast rights to NBA games for as much as $2.5 billion annually. NBC last carried league games from the 1990s until 2002, including when the Sonics played Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls at KeyArena in Seattle in the 1996 NBA Finals.

This week, the Journal reported Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TNT, is “hopeful” it can retain its contract with the NBA by matching the offer by NBC and Peacock streaming service. Warner Bros. So that process is progressing, but not done.

Joe Flint reported and wrote the two Wall Street Journal stories about NBC’s and TNT’s bids to get the NBA’s new media rights. Flint told The News Tribune on 93.3 KJR-FM radio Thursday the completion of the media deals — and thus the NBA turning its attention to expansion — aren’t necessarily imminent. “Everyone thinks this is going to be happening very soon. I’m a little more cynical on that,” Flint told the The News Tribune on KJR about the new media-rights deals. “I think it will take a few more weeks.

“Could be two weeks. Could be two months,” Flint then said. “I don’t think there’s any huge rush on this.” That doesn’t temper expectations from people in Seattle that the Sonics are coming back.

Last summer, while speaking to reporters at the league’s summer league in Las Vegas, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said: “We will turn to expansion once those new media deals are done.” Silver also said in July 2023 of the markets for NBA expansion: “We will look at (Vegas). There’s no doubt there’s enormous interest in Seattle. That’s not a secret.” Louisville, Vancouver, Nashville and Montreal are among other cities reportedly interested in bidding for an NBA expansion team.

This past February, Silver told TNT during the cable network’s broadcast of the NBA All-Star Game: “It’s very likely we will expand.” The league’s commissioner also said it’s like the league will expand by two teams, to 32. The SuperSonics played in Seattle from its expansion year of 1967 until 2008. That summer the City of Seattle reached a settlement in its lawsuit and federal court case with Sonics owners. The settlement allowed then-Sonics owner and Oklahoma-based Clay Bennett to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City. Bennett had bought the team in 2006 from then-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz in 2006.

Part of that settlement that moved the team to Oklahoma said the City of Seattle retains the team name SuperSonics, the green-and-gold team colors, plus logos and trademarks — all to use should the NBA eventually return to the Pacific Northwest. Now that the new media-rights are getting closer to being finalized, it appears Seattle could have the Sonics back playing inside the NHL Kraken’s Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center by perhaps the fall of 2027. That would be for the beginning of the 2027-28 NBA season