The Lakers’ loss may be Seattle’s gain. Multiple outlets are reporting that an agreement has been reached for the long-rumored sale of the Sacramento Kings to an investment group from Seattle. NBA teams were reportedly notified about the deal on Sunday night, which was about the time that this juicy tidbit from RealGM.com via Peter Vecsey (yes, the NBA on NBC Peter Vecsey) hit the web: Phil Jackson is said to be almost a lock to become the front office face of the new Seattle franchise.
RealGM.com sources say that Jackson would not coach the team, but that he would mentor the coach that the team hires. While you can never be certain about anything with Jackson, Seattle certainly provides the West Coast lifestyle that seems to be most amenable to Jackson’s taste. Larry Bird and R.C. Buford are also rumored by RealGM.com to be candidates for front office positions with the new Seattle franchise.
Given the names that are already rumored to be connected to the new franchise, it sounds like the Seattle ownership group is off to the right start. While Seattle was one of the NBA’s strongest markets in its heyday in the 1990s, the team will now have to compete with an up-and-coming Seattle Seahawks team in its own market.
This will definitely be an intriguing story to keep an eye on as the NBA appears to be headed back to the Emerald City.