Sonics Announce Intentions to Move

11/5/2007

SuperSonics chairman Clay Bennett has informed NBA commissioner David Stern that his ownership group intends to relocate the team to Oklahoma City as soon as it can get out of its Key Arena lease. Celtics guard Ray Allen, who played in Seattle from 2003-07, wasn't surprised.

"When the team was bought from the previous ownership they told us and everybody in the city that they sold it to a group that they thought would most likely keep the team in the city," Allen said. "Everybody thought that was some [garbage]. How is someone from Oklahoma City going to buy a team in Seattle who doesn't have any ties [in Seattle] and has big money in Oklahoma? If things don't go right, everybody's craving for the team to move to Oklahoma City.

"It just seemed like they got the higher bid because they made more money selling the team to someone outside of the city. So when they made that announcement [to move], it came as no surprise to me.

"I think the people of that city are so snake-bitten by previous ownership and now the new ownership."