A source close to the discussions tells Comcast SportsNet that the NBA has told the Maloofs to expect the Kings to stay in Sacramento next year.
The NBA is expected to put out a press release on Monday and the Maloofs will follow with a release of their own, but an NBA press conference is not expected. The source also said Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson is expected to hold a press conference on Monday.
Expect the Maloofs (the owners of the Kings) to come out at their press conference talking about how they love Sacramento and never wanted to leave, how they want to make it work. Nobody in Sacramento will buy it. That family has a lot of work to do to repair their reputation in Sacramento
The Maloofs had planned to move their team to Anaheim starting next season. They had negotiated a lease agreement for the Honda Center and set up a personal loan from billionaire Henry Samueli, who operates the center. Even plans for a television deal had been set up. It seemed a month ago that this move could not be stopped.
But in the end staying seemed to be only option the Maloof brothers had. After Johnson spoke to the NBA owners — the Board of Governors — and talked about $10 million in new sponsorships and plans for a new building starting to take shape, other owners sounded like they were willing to give Sacramento one more chance.
It became clear in the past week or so the Maloof brothers did not have the majority vote of owners that would be required to approve the move. There became more and more of a feeling that this move was about the Maloof families personal financial issues — the Palms cansino, like all of Las Vegas, has been hard hit by the economy, and the brothers have taken on a lot of debt — than it was about the team.
Sacramento gets one more year. But if efforts for a new stadium do not take huge leaps in the next year, if money is not lined up to build it, the Kings will be gone next summer.
But for now, the Kings stay.