NBA Rumors: League insiders believe Seattle getting a franchise is a formality if the NBA decides to expand
The Seattle Supersonics just might be returning to the NBA very soon. According to reports, it's all just a matter of formality and is almost certain that Seattle will once again have an NBA team.
The news comes after the Twitter page RealGM broke the news on their Twitter feed that the NBA is seriously considering bringing a team to Seattle.
Most NBA Insiders Consider It A Formality Expansion Will Include Seattle basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/264943…
The report also states that there are multiple parties interested in bringing an NBA franchise back to Seattle, and many even want to retain the name Seattle Supersonics. There has been a lot of talk of the NBA possibly expanding from 30 teams and this just adds to the possibility of Seattle coming back to the NBA.
What happened to the Seattle Supersonics?
Playing in the Western Conference, the Seattle Supersonics franchise was founded in 1967. The Sonics won their first and only NBA title in 1979, relying on players like Dennis Johnson and Jack Sikma. The Sonics reached the NBA Finals on three separate occasions - 1978, 1979, and 1996.
The Seattle Supersonics had the likes of Gary Payton and Sean Kemp lead the team in 1990s, reaching the NBA Finals in 1996 but losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games. During the 1995-96 regular season, the Seattle Supersonics had a record of 64-18, which was a franchise record.
🗓 This Day in Stats, 1996: Shawn Kemp scored 26 points and Gary Payton added 21 as the Seattle SuperSonics defeated Utah in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals to earn the team their first trip to the #NBAFinals since 1979. https://t.co/jAdgfv715n
After the Payton-Kemp era, the Sonics struggled in the NBA. That was until Ray Allen came along and was paired with Rashard Lewis which made the team a constant fixture in the postseason in the highly competitive Western Conference. However, an NBA Finals appearance never arrived.
During the 2007 NBA Draft, the Seattle Supersonics were awarded the second overall pick and with that, they took Kevin Durant. Seattle finally had a franchise player and the task was now to build around Durant. KD would hold his end of the bargain as he won the Rookie of the Year award in 2008 by averaging 20.3 points while shooting 43% from the field and over 87% from the free throw line.
But things went from bad to worse for the Sonics. Conversations over a deal about a new arena had broken down and their final season in the NBA ended with a 20-62 record. Chairman Clay Bennett tied up all his legal disputes with the city and having secured the rights to move the team, the Seattle Supersonics played their last game against the Dallas Mavericks and officially moved to Oklahoma City and was renamed the Oklahoma City Thunder.
OKC soon drafted Russell Westbrook, who alongside Kevin Durant led the team from that point onwards to multiple playoff appearances and even reached the 2012 NBA Finals, eventually losing to a LeBron James-led Miami Heat.