The City of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed held a press conference today stating that he hopes the Atlanta Hawks will get new ownership by the end of 2014. Reed also said Friday that he received assurances from Commissioner Adam Silver that the City of Atlanta will maintain the Hawks franchise.
“What’s really happening is that most people believe we have handled what was a very negative situation in a thoughtful way in our city, but I will tell you there is some increasing urgency about when will we move forward with a new owner,” he said.
Reed also said that because Levenson came forward with an email in which he questioned whether African-American fans had “scared off” a white audience, that “we will have a more cooperative process so that we can get this done and move on.”
In a mid-September press conference, Reed said he’s spoken with as many as six prospective buyers. The mayor also raised the possibility of committing city resources in a potential deal with new ownership. Reed is committed to meeting with all potential owners and has already sat down with Adam Silver and attempting to vet potential suitors.
The Hawks franchise has been under fire since a racially charge email from owner Bruce Levenson surfaced; and subsequently GM Danny Ferry has come under fire for his handling of the situation and for comments of his own stemming from a scouting report of potential free-agent acquisition Loul Deng. Levenson has already said he wants to sell his 24% majority share. It is probably a very good thing that Kasim Reed is proactively trying expedite this whole process so that the NBA, Atlanta Hawks, and the city of Atlanta can put this all behind them.