The Maloof family will announce whether they will press forward on their plan to relocate the Sacramento Kings to Anaheim at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, according to the Sacramento Bee. The deadline for the Maloofs to file a relocation application with the NBA is 5 p.m. ET. The Maloofs have been talking to Anaheim officials for months, and the NBA has twice moved the relocation deadline as it has investigated Sacramento's assurances of new public support for the team.
Maloofs To Announce Sacramento Kings Relocation Decision Monday
If the Maloofs do decide to file, they still must receive majority approval from the NBA Board of Governors. That could be a problem, as the seven-member relocation panel has already told NBA commissioner David Stern and the Maloofs that they will not recommend approval of a relocation application. Reports have suggested the Maloofs could sue on antitrust violation charges if the other NBA owners blocked a move.
To that effect, a Maloof-hired lawyer visited the house of an Orange County Register last week, requesting a tape of Phil Jackson’s comments in which he compared the Maloofs to Frank McCourt, the embattled owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The saga could drag in, though the Maloofs risk damaging their reputation in Secaucus enough that Stern could push for the family to sell to billionaire Ron Burkle, who has said publicly he’s interested in buying the Kings and keeping them in Sacramento.
For more on the Kings, visit Sactown Royalty.
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