OT NBA Phoenix Suns owner threatens to move team to Las Vegas or Seattle (if he doesn't get deal)

[LadyStanley]

Robert Sarver has apparently threatened to move the Phoenix Suns to Seattle or Las Vegas

In 1992, the Suns committed to a 40-year lease at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, but the agreement included a provision for the Suns to opt out at 30 years if the building — one of the oldest in the NBA — is considered obsolete.

That could allow the Suns to leave downtown Phoenix in 2022 if there's no new agreement.

With a vote on a $230 million renovation plan for the Suns' arena by the Phoenix City Council delayed, it has been revealed that Suns owner Robert Sarver has told some council members he might move the team to Seattle or Las Vegas.

Well, well, well.

Click to read more...

 

[gstommylee]

Robert Sarver has apparently threatened to move the Phoenix Suns to Seattle or Las Vegas



Well, well, well.

Good luck getting 100% of revenue in Seattle. He would be treated as a tenant in Seattle center arena thus automatically limited how much revenue he'll get.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

This is an awful bluff. He has no leverage at all.

 

[Mightygoose]

More likely he would have to sell or at least in part to the interests in Seattle if he goes that route.

Still if Phoenix still says no, he still has 3 1/2 years in TRSA and one more election between now and then. Perhaps he would 'pick' between Seattle and Vegas before one last round in the arena battle.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

More likely he would have to sell or at least in part to the interests in Seattle if he goes that route.

Still if Phoenix still says no, he still has 3 1/2 years in TRSA and one more election between now and then. Perhaps he would 'pick' between Seattle and Vegas before one last round in the arena battle.

I don’t think it helps Sarver that Suns fans already didn’t like him to begin with.

 

[gstommylee]

More likely he would have to sell or at least in part to the interests in Seattle if he goes that route.

Still if Phoenix still says no, he still has 3 1/2 years in TRSA and one more election between now and then. Perhaps he would 'pick' between Seattle and Vegas before one last round in the arena battle.

Eh i think NBA steps in and gets a new owner there in phx. I don't really see NBA wanting to leave phx.

 

[DowntownBooster]

Maybe he can move the Suns into the GRA in Glendale.

 

[tony d]

Read about that on another site. Could be something to follow especially as it relates to the Coyotes and their future.

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

My ears definitely perked up hearing this news.

Reverberations might be felt throughout not only the NBA, not only the NHL, but all of sports.

 

[gstommylee]

Read about that on another site. Could be something to follow especially as it relates to the Coyotes and their future.

The suns can't legally move until 2022. Then there is the problem of the arena needed to be upgraded for a NHL team. I doubt the coyotes have that kind of time and money to do that.

EIther way i doubt the NBA will allow the suns to move.

 

[StreetHawk]

Robert Sarver has apparently threatened to move the Phoenix Suns to Seattle or Las Vegas



Well, well, well.

You’d still get the same situation in that the TSRA will require over $200 million in renovations regardless of who the owner is. Maybe with a better owner it’s a 50-50 split vs 2/3 vs 1/3 split in costs.

 

[HisIceness]

The NBA won't let this happen, the Suns have been around too long and despite having never won a championship and being mostly terrible since the 2010 playoff run, they've established themselves as a franchise in the league. They also happen to play in a market close to 5 million and still growing.

They could definitely use a new owner though.

 

[gstommylee]

 

[TheLegend]

Something people should note is.... the person reporting this is an op-ed columnist for the Arizona Republic who’s repeating what certain CoP council members alledgedly said.

For all anyone knows Sarver never made that statement and the council members are doing some of their own posturing since there’s been a huge backlash towards them as well for even considering putting money into TSRA.

Nevertheless the Suns’ President has been in full damage control all afternoon.

Personally I think Sarver’s a bad owner from the standpoint that he meddles too much in team operations and has made some seriously bad hires in front office personnel. But he wants to win like any other owner does. He’s just got no clue as to how to do it.

The other thing is he can’t bail from the lease until 2022 at the earliest. That’s when he can ask for an independent arbitrator to declare TSRA as being out of date and can demand the city to bring the arena up to date or allow him to exit out the last 5 years.

 

[aqib]

Eh i think NBA steps in and gets a new owner there in phx. I don't really see NBA wanting to leave phx.

They left Seattle what makes Phoenix better, especially when you consider the Seattle economy. I still haven't figured out what deal OVG is giving an NBA team so its hard to say if it would be better than staying in Phoenix but without that info its too early to speculate.

 

[gstommylee]

They left Seattle what makes Phoenix better, especially when you consider the Seattle economy. I still haven't figured out what deal OVG is giving an NBA team so its hard to say if it would be better than staying in Phoenix but without that info its too early to speculate.

We already have a ownership group for the NBA team when one becomes available. I don't see any team moving to Seattle with out Bonderman being majority owner off imo.

 

[nickp91]

Maybe Sarver should consider moving to Las Vegas and leaving the Suns in Phoenix

 

[Centrum Hockey]

We already have a ownership group for the NBA team when one becomes available. I don't see any team moving to Seattle with out Bonderman being majority owner off imo.

Silver and the league would never support a move of the suns. Maybe they would support some sort of franchise swap with the Grizzles or New Orleans if saver wanted to own a team in Seattle or La Vegas .

 

[gstommylee]

Silver and the league would never support a move of the suns. Maybe they would support some sort of franchise swap with the Grizzles or New Orleans if saver wanted to own a team in Seattle or La Vegas .

Sarver would never own the team in Seattle. That's my point.

 

[Centrum Hockey]

Sarver would never own the team in Seattle. That's my point.

they cant force him out of the NBA unless there is a there is a very good reason either. Bonderman Could fund a move buy buying a minority ownership though

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Silver and the league would never support a move of the suns. Maybe they would support some sort of franchise swap with the Grizzles or New Orleans if saver wanted to own a team in Seattle or La Vegas .

Memphis nor the Pelicans are in play, you likely end up with the Saints as a side benefit if it's New Orleans

 

[gstommylee]

they cant force him out of the NBA unless there is a there is a very good reason either. Bonderman Could fund a move buy buying a minority ownership though

Btw the NBA forced the maloof to sell to a cheaper offer thus forced the franchise to stay and they had no legally authority to do that. Until someone sued the NBA for anti-trust, NBA will continue what it deems fit.

 

[Jumptheshark]

translation

Seattle is getting their arena finally and NBA owner sees the ground work already done

 

[Centrum Hockey]

Btw the NBA forced the maloof to sell to a cheaper offer thus forced the franchise to stay and they had no legally authority to do that. Until someone sued the NBA for anti-trust, NBA will continue what it deems fit.

The vote was 22-8 so there was at least 8 owners against Bennett and Stern interference with that deal one of those votes was probably Paul Allen .The trust that runs the blazers would probably vote with the league if a vote happened to move a team now

 

[snovalleyhockeyfan]

The vote was 22-8 so there was at least 8 owners against Bennett and Stern interference with that deal one of those votes was probably Paul Allen .The trust that runs the blazers would probably vote with the league if a vote happened to move a team now

That trust AFAIK is run by the late Mr. Allen's sister Jody so there's no guarantee that she'd vote differently than he would have. That said, it's likely they'll be sold anyway sometime next year after the season ends so we'll see what happens then.