The votes are in, and the NBA can formally explore the addition of a new franchise in Las Vegas and Seattle. The former city has already experienced NBA culture with summer league and Cup championship games. But the latter is where the true franchise history lies. In 2008, the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder. The fans already seem excited, and even the Sonics legends are excited, including Gary Payton.

“Get the owner who’s gonna own it, who’s gonna be the rightful owner of it, and get it. I’m just happy everybody knows that we’re gonna get a team back soon, said GP to KING 5 News (NBC Seattle), who was the cornerstone of the franchise in the 90s. For now, the NBA’s plan remains to expand to 32 teams, with the reported timeline so far being 2028-29. The Glove wants the fans to attend the games in huge numbers, as it will be after two decades that the NBA is back in Seattle.

“We do know what day we’re coming back. I want everybody to be out there and support it, show these people why Seattle shouldn’t have lost a team and why they’re getting a team back, and that’s what it is.” Gary Payton even added that the commissioner, Adam Silver, personally visited multiple times to check if the city for hosting NBA again.

For 13 years, Gary Payton was the voice and leader of the Sonics. Till today, he holds the franchise history record for most points, assists, and steals. So, when he speaks, it automatically carries authority.

“Adam Silver came here several times and viewed our arena. When we got our NHL team, the Krakens, where I was in there, I did a review of it a lot of times. It’s gonna be great for us. Well, that’s one of the best state-of-the-art arenas in the world right now in the country, so we’re good.”

Payton was absolutely sure that the newly revamped Climate Pledge Arena would provide an excellent NBA environment for the fans. Apart from the NHL’s Kraken, it also serves as home to the WNBA’s Storm. While for now exploration has begun, the final verdict is still pending. Silver stated that “nothing is set in stone right now”. Because formal expansion will require support from three-quarters of the league’s current owners. Still, Seattle government officials are ready to bring the SuperSonics home.

The Washington Governor is very keen for the Seattle SuperSonics to begin another stint with the NBA

First, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson also opined, “Seattle is ready to welcome the Sonics home. We never stopped being a basketball city, and the fans have never given up. We built a world-class arena, we have a strong economy, and a dedicated workforce. And we are prepared, we are united, and we are ready for the next chapter of our Sonics.” Similarly, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has been speaking directly to the NBA commissioner.

According to KOMO News, Silver and Ferguson conducted their business over a productive Zoom call to discuss the latest expansion ideas. In fact, Ferguson even sees the SuperSonics’ return as a “top priority”. If the majority approves of Seattle being the latest expansion team, the financials should also make sense. For now, the reported expansion fees are expected to run between $7 billion and $10 billion per franchise.

Seattle, for now, has solved the previous stadium issue with a state-of-the-art arena. That’s why Gary Payton is optimistic and wants to celebrate the news only when the date of return for the SuperSonics is announced.