Sale leaves Seattle fans searching for optimism

SEATTLE – Eighteen-year-old Aaron Morris appeared dejected outside the Seattle SuperSonics’ downtown facility while Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennett was inside discussing his purchase of the NBA team and the WNBA’s Storm.

Bennett and his investment group purchased the teams Tuesday for $350 million from a Seattle-area group led by Starbucks Corp. chairman Howard Schultz.

They also announced a 12-month deadline to reach a new arena deal with Seattle officials – something Schultz and his 57 owner partners, the Basketball Club of Seattle, didn’t accomplish in two years. After that, the new owners, the Professional Basketball Club, LLC, gain the option to move the team to Oklahoma City.

“It is not our intention to move or relocate the teams – as long, of course, as we are able to negotiate a successor venue to the current basketball arena and arrangements to ensure the Sonics and Storm can succeed,” Bennett said.

Morris, who said he attends a few Sonics games a year when he can afford it, was holding a homemade, cardboard sign that read: “39 years … out the window??” – referring to the Sonics’ tenure in Seattle.

Morris’ friend Ben Conway, also 18, was wearing a green, Sonics Shawn Kemp throwback jersey with a white T-shirt pulled over his face and head – he said to represent the gravity of the day.

Conway’s sign: “Don’t sell my childhood to OK City.”

Bennett, Schultz, the Sonics – even Oklahoma City’s Mayor – repeatedly stated that isn’t so.

Not yet, anyway.

But check back in a year.

Bennett was asked what would happen if he and his partners, who have no known Washington ties, can’t reach an agreement in 12 months with local politicians.

“If we weren’t able to find a successor facility and relative lease by then, we have the option contractually to … evaluate our position,” Bennett said.

He paused to chose those final words carefully.

Schultz said he turned down higher offers from potential buyers that he felt would move the team immediately. Some earlier offers were known to have been from San Jose, Calif., and Kansas City, Mo.

He barely hid his displeasure for Seattle’s elected officials with whom he could get nothing done on a new deal to remodel or, better yet, replace KeyArena. The facility was renovated in 1994-95 and the Sonics have a lease until 2010 with the city.

Should the new owners break that lease, they would have to pay remaining rent due to the city, plus a penalty.

“We did not get the kind of support and respect from city officials we needed,” Schultz said. “This is not how we wanted to go out.”