Q: What happened with the arena situation in the Legislature in Olympia during March?
A: Legislators considered two bills (House Bill 3233 and Senate Bill 6849) which proposed extending King County visitors’ taxes to support the arts and a competitive NBA/WNBA venue for the Sonics & Storm. Legislative work sessions were held in both the House Finance Committee and the Senate Ways and Means Committee. Key representatives from King County Executive Ron Sims’ office, Governor Christine Gregoire’s office, the City of Seattle, the Seattle Sports Commission and county arts and heritage groups were present to voice their support for the proposal. After discussions between the Governor and all parties involved with the bill, Legislative committee members could not agree on a proposal to send on to the Legislature as a whole for a vote. Beyond the legislative session, the Governor has urged City of Seattle officials to forge a solution to the KeyArena equation soon in order to give the Sonics and Storm the ability to secure their arena plans for the future beyond the 2009-2010 season.

Q: Howard Schultz said at the beginning of this year that from the Sonics & Storm owners’ perspective, the deadline for a legislative decision on the arena was March 9. Has time completely run out?
A: With 2009-2010 in the not-so-distant future, time is running out on several of the options the ownership group must consider. The deadline for a Legislative solution this year has passed, and now the attention turns to what can be done in the near term.

Q: Since nothing happened in the Legislature in March, have you stopped working with the Governor and the Legislature?
A: Working out a solution to the arena issue will continue to require input from officials from several levels of government. We hope to continue to work with the Governor, the Legislature and other governing bodies in this effort of finding a local solution.

Q: Is it true that KeyArena and Seattle Center can survive without the Sonics?
A: In a study conducted by the city, the suggestion is that KeyArena would only be sustainable if the Sonics left the region (in other words, if the team continued to play in the Seattle area but at a venue other than the Key, then the study predicts KeyArena would not operate profitably).

Q: Have City of Seattle officials, like the mayor and city council members, closed the door on improving KeyArena to keep the Sonics and the Storm as tenants?
A: Recent Seattle city officials’ comments in the media have suggested the future of KeyArena does not require the Sonics. However, in our discussions with most of those same officials, they appear to be interested in finding a solution to the KeyArena puzzle that would be attractive enough for the Sonics & Storm to stay.

Q: What are the Sonics & Storm ownership’s options if the city doesn’t come up with an attractive-enough KeyArena proposal?
A: One option is pursuing a new facility to be built within the region. Another option is the potential sale of the franchises.

Q: What is the Sonics & Storm’s strategy regarding the arena issue now?
A: We have retained advisors to help us explore options, including a new facility within the region and potential sale of the franchises, particularly given the numerous inquiries that we have received. The sale of the franchises has never been our preferred option, but given that time is running short on our current lease, we must contemplate all scenarios. Our vision, however, remains the same – to run economically sustainable franchises that can compete for championships. The goal is a model that would allow the Sonics and Storm to be competitive with other NBA and WNBA teams and their arenas. The current square footage of KeyArena is 368,000 and new NBA buildings average 700,000-750,000 square feet.

Q: Would this ownership group move the teams to another major market and still own and operate them?
A: This ownership group has no interest in owning professional basketball franchises outside of the state of Washington.

Q: If the teams leave KeyArena, what happens to the arena or Seattle Center?
A: The Seattle Center has been a good home and its future is important to us. We will support efforts to keep Seattle Center vital as we pursue options for preserving Sonics & Storm championship heritage.

Q: Based on the comments in the media from Seattle City officials suggesting the future of KeyArena does not require the Sonics, is the organization going to build a new arena in Bellevue?
A: We continue to look at all options of which Bellevue is one. Information detailing each option before us is progressing, but not far enough along for choices to be made.

Q: What potential buyers or cities wanting an NBA/WNBA franchise are the Sonics & Storm owners in discussions with?
A: We have hired advisors who are having preliminary, private discussions with other parties. The names of interested parties are not disclosed. We need to spend our time on local solutions.

Q: Regardless of whether the scenario ended up being a KeyArena remodel or a new arena in Bellevue, would Sonics & Storm owners put up money to fund an arena solution and, if so, how much?
A: The teams’ owners would be willing to contribute financially to a solution to the arena equation. But, without details or dollar amounts on the table regarding the teams’ future arena options or the scope of the potential arena projects, it is difficult to define a specific financial amount.

Q: Will each team miss a season if upgrades are made to KeyArena?
A: Under a KeyArena upgrades scenario, many construction logistics would be yet to be determined. Under this outcome of the arena issue, the best estimate at this point is we would not miss a Sonics season at KeyArena but could possibly miss a Storm season at the Key. Given the nature of construction upgrades, this anticipated scenario’s timing could change.