Sacramento Kings relocation: May 8 earliest date for Board of Governors vote

The key date is an April 29 conference call, where the NBA’s relocation and finances committee will officially give a recommendation on which ownership group to approve. After that, the league’s 30 owners will have at least a week to contemplate things before a final vote.

While the Maloofs are reportedly intent on dealing with a group fronted by Chris Hansen that would bring the NBA back to Seattle, David Stern has insisted that they don’t have final say on whether the franchise will move.

Over the last few months, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson has put together an impressive last-ditch effort to save the Kings, recruiting local businessmen Vivek Ranadive to front an ownership group and securing local financing for a new arena.

At this point, few know what the committee will end up recommending and whether the NBA’s 29 other owners will end up agreeing with it. It takes 23 of 30 owners to approve a sale, but moving a franchise requires only a simple majority of 16 votes.

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