Sonics Owner Vows Move to Oklahoma

The Seattle SuperSonics’ owner said today he will move the team to Oklahoma City. Clay Bennett isn’t satisfied with the Sonics’ current arena, where the lease expires in 2010; he gave the city a deadline to plan a new stadium, which passed this week. Bennett wants to void the lease’s last two years, and claims the b-ballers lost $17 million last year due to the stadium, the AP reports.

Meanwhile, a former Sonics stakeholder offered to buy the team and its WNBA counterpart, the Seattle Times reports. The investment manager wants to keep the team in Seattle, and has assembled a group of unnamed civic-minded locals. He says he’s revealing the offer to fight public perception that the southward move is a done deal. (More NBA stories.)