Potential NBA team owners lining up, Ron Sims says

King County Executive Ron Sims met with two local investors and is aware of a third group interested in keeping an NBA franchise in Seattle.

That team, however, will not be the Sonics, he says.

"I just think they're gone and the issue is, will anybody else move here?" Sims said in a telephone interview. "People from various ownership groups have stopped by my office and they've talked, and they're saying there's a likelihood that there will be some other teams out there that maybe would be interested in moving into this market, and that's what I think the plans are."

The NBA owners will vote on the Sonics' petition to move to Oklahoma City at the April 17-18 Board of Governors meeting, and the city of Seattle's lawsuit — to force the team to play games at KeyArena until its lease expires in 2010 — goes to trial June 16.

Mayor Greg Nickels and former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton, who is the lead attorney in the case against the Sonics, said hopes of retaining the franchise rest on keeping the Sonics in Seattle for the next two seasons so the Oklahoma City-based ownership group continues to lose money and is forced to sell to local investors.

Sims thinks the strategy is flawed.

"They can keep him here for the next two years and the Sonics won't sell out, but a lot of people will still go to the games because they enjoy professional sports and watching this team grow," he said. "Even if Bennett loses that case, he can take the losses for two years. We're not talking about a poor ownership group here."

Bennett, who led a group of investors that purchased the Sonics and Storm for $350 million in July 2006, reiterated a week ago through a spokesman that the Sonics are not for sale. He said the same thing about the Storm, but sold the WNBA team for $10 million to a group of local investors.

Sims said he hopes the lawsuit will keep Bennett's team here long enough for other ownership groups to lay the groundwork for a new Seattle team so that "there's not what I would call 'seasons lost.' "

Sims said two of the three local investors are interested in building a privately-financed arena in King County and the other group wants to refurbish KeyArena. He also said he supported city officials who declined the team's $26.5 million buyout offer.

"These teams are not public utilities," Sims said. "I hate to use that term, but we saw this coming and I just think it's a matter of time. It's a matter of when, not if.

"What we should do is what I would call the Cleveland Browns strategy, which is to keep the name of the team here so if a new team comes here, they would become the Sonics. But this team of [Kevin] Durant and [Jeff] Green, this team as we know them is gone."

Note

• The Sonics are considering signing a point guard to a 10-day contract because Earl Watson (upper respiratory infection) and Luke Ridnour (right hamstring soreness) are not healthy. Before signing anyone, Seattle would need to waive a player, and the most likely candidates include newcomers Ira Newble and Francisco Elson because they don't have guaranteed contracts next season. Watson and Ridnour are listed as probable for tonight.

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com