NBA

The Kings Are (Almost Certainly) Staying In Sacramento

It wasn’t looking great for the future of the Sacramento Kings – at least, the future of the Sacramento Kings as the Sacramento Kings – for a while there. In fact, the team’s imminent relocation looked so likely that the team’s announcers were in tears at the end of the Kings’ last home game last season.

But after that came signs of hope. Really, really rich people announced they were committed to keeping the Kings right where they were. The rumblings started that maybe a deal to keep the team in place could still be salvaged. And then, in early may it was announced that the team – for the time being – wouldn’t move at all.

But an announcement from earlier today is the biggest yet: Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson (yes, that Kevin Johnson) announced that the “framework for an agreement” to keep the Kings in Sacramento long-term has been reached. Under said agreement, the Maloof family, which owns the Kings, would contribute a total of $150 million toward a new arena in Sacramento. While SB Nation’s Tom Ziller (who was as happy as anyone at today’s developments) points out that there are https://twitter.com/#!/teamziller/status/174199309141680129“>more hurdles left to clear, it appears the most significant one was just cleared today.

And that’s led to a whole lot of joy in Sacramento. Johnson said he wanted to jump up and down. Gavin Maloof was so overjoyed and relieved that he was in tears. The reaction in real time is overwhelmingly positive. Almost everyone wins here. Even many Seattle fans – who stood to potentially gain a team if the Kings had to relocate – were happy the fans didn’t have to lose their team like they did a few years ago. And that’s the crux of what happened here; a devoted fanbase won. Who can’t get behind that?

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