The talks of the NBA eventually expanding to include 2 new teams keep getting stronger every time we hear something new about it. Recently, LeBron James openly came out to announce his intention of owning a franchise in Las Vegas.
If Vegas is one destination, where would the other team be? Most sources are saying it will be Seattle, who lost their beloved SuperSonics to Oklahoma City in 2008. The team left Seattle while having a generational talent in Kevin Durant on the roster and ended up drafting Russell Westbrook in that year’s draft. With a possible return to the NBA looming for Seattle, a group of prospective buyers could try to swoop in for the ownership rights of the team.
Landon Buford spoke to Jamal Crawford about how the city of Seattle would react to Kevin Durant rejoining the Sonics (if they return as an expansion team) and segueing the end of his career into an ownership role on the team. The 3-time Sixth Man of the Year believes it’ll be met with a lot of positivity.
Jamal Crawford shares how Seattle would react if @KDTrey5 returned for 1 season before retiring then become an owner:
“Like they would be over the moon, & I think he would do an unbelievable job,”says @JCrossover.#NBATwitter #netsworld #Supersonics pic.twitter.com/QAPc7j04ab
— Landon Buford (@LandonBuford) August 3, 2022
“The city would be ecstatic. It’d be unbelievable. Not only was he on the team when they left us, but he was going to be the bridge to kinda keep us here. You get a player of this magnitude in your hometown who goes on to be the best player in the world and he comes back and says, ‘You know what, I am going to play another year here and then go into ownership’, they would be over the moon. I think Kevin is a very very bright and smart guy and his basketball intelligence, how to put teams together, how to navigate certain things, his experiences, what worked, what didn’t work, what players do we need, all that stuff that you think about, I think he’d be phenomenal.”
KD had announced his intention to eventually own an NBA team in 2021 through his manager Rich Kleinman. Currently, the only former player to have a seat at the ownership table is Michael Jordan with the Charlotte Hornets.
Seattle would be a great choice for KD if he can manage to get a certain percentage as part of whatever consortium tries to purchase the team. He’d transition from player to owner quite effortlessly, and this is definitely a route the 2-time champion will explore in a couple of years.
