KJ Finds an Interested Buyer

Mayor Kevin Johnson of Sacramento made his presentation to the NBA Board of Governors today.  After the meeting, he took time to send the following tweet:

The problem is, though, that the ownership of the Kings -- including the Maloof brothers -- have previously indicated an unwillingness to sell.  But the Maloofs will need the approval of over half the NBA teams to get permission to relocate.  Would the other NBA teams be interested in having the Maloofs take ownership of the Hornets instead of the Kings?  In other words, could the NBA force the Maloofs to sell by not approving the relocation?  Burkle could then purchase the Kings, giving the Maloofs enough money (probably with some left over) to purchase the Hornets from the league.  The other owners would be happy to have the Hornets off their hands, the Kings could stay in Sacramento, and the Maloofs would then have a team to take to Anaheim so that they can get the lucrative cable TV deal of a large market.  Or the Maloofs could leave the Hornets in New Orleans where they currently have a viable NBA arena.

The Man Who Traded the Celtics for the Clippers:  Irv Levin.
He seems a bit Maloof-ish. (copyright: Dick Raphael)

An exchange or swap of NBA teams is not an unprecedented move.

In 1978, Buffalo Braves owner John Y. Brown swapped franchises with Irv Levin, who owned the Celtics.  Why would the Celtics owner want the Braves instead?  Levin wanted to move his team to Southern California; the swap enabled him to get his wish -- the Braves then left to become the San Diego Clippers in 1978.  Three years later, Clippers fans would get this news and the rest is (the-worst-team-in-major-US-professional-sports) history.

        The struggling San Diego Clippers have been sold to Donald T. Sterling, 

       a Los Angeles lawyer who said today that he was ''prepared to pay 

       whatever it costs'' to make the team a winner.  Sterling said the 

       franchise would remain in San Diego and that he planned to live 

       here and practice law here and in Los Angeles.  ''We're not that far 

       away,'' Sterling said. ''We can be a winner in a year.''    

       (New York Times, May 5, 1981)