What are the chances of the NBA returning to Seattle? Here’s what WA leaders say
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- NBA Board of Governors will vote to explore Seattle expansion for 2028-29.
- SB 6346 would tax household income over $1M at 9.9%, collections start in 2029
- Policymakers disagree on whether the tax will affect player recruitment and relocation
Talks of a possible NBA expansion in Seattle have many Washingtonians praying that it could lead to the long-awaited return of the SuperSonics.
Yet the NBA news has also sparked concerns that a newly passed income tax on millionaires could hurt the state’s odds.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday that the NBA is voting at its Board of Governors meeting next week to explore the addition of expansion teams in Seattle and Las Vegas, which would be slated to begin playing in the 2028-29 season. Charania notes that 2004 marked the last NBA expansion in Charlotte, North Carolina.
That report was welcomed by Democratic U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, who called it “good news” in a Monday morning post on X.
“What a great month for basketball. There is no better and deserving city than Seattle if you want to talk about expansion,” she wrote. “HUGE fan base plus history equals a great future for NBA in Seattle.”
Plenty have longed for the Sonics’ return since the team left for Oklahoma City in 2008. Howard Schultz, ex-CEO of Starbucks, sold the team — a move begrudged by many Washington basketball fans.
Last week, Schultz announced that he’d moved to Miami in a LinkedIn post shared hours after Democratic House lawmakers approved the so-called millionaires tax.
Senate Bill 6346 would impose a 9.9% tax on household income exceeding $1 million annually, with collections starting in 2029.
Sen. Chris Gildon, the Senate Republican budget leader, told McClatchy that it’s unclear how much the tax will weigh on the NBA’s decision to bring a team to Seattle, but that he thinks it will be a factor for players.
Top athletes could consider heading for states with income taxes, like California or New York, or to income tax-free states such as Texas or Florida, Gildon said. The Puyallup lawmaker said he expects most players to have incomes higher than $1 million, and that the tax will put Washington behind in terms of recruitment.
Last week, the Seattle Seahawks’ general manager John Schneider raised similar worries about that team’s future of signing free agents.
“It’s going to sting, no question about it,” he said on Seattle Sports 710-AM.
Gildon argues that it isn’t just the new income tax that could prompt players to rethink moving to Washington. It’s other state taxes, too, including the sales, death and property taxes. High earners are sure to mull all of the above, he said.
“If we want to be a state that’s attractive to business as well as basketball, then tax structure matters,” Gildon added.
Rep. April Berg, chair of the House Finance Committee, called Republican lawmakers’ concerns about recruitment implications “completely misfounded.” She pointed out that 41 other states are home to income taxes, including those with booming NBA, NFL and NHL franchises.
Case in point, Berg noted: Steph Curry is the highest-paid player in the league as point guard for the Golden State Warriors in California.
Berg also pointed out that when the Sonics ditched Seattle, they moved to a state with an income tax.
“That’s why it was just so galling to hear that rhetoric from the Republicans about how this income tax is going to stop the Sonics from coming,” the Mill Creek Democrat said. “Because, by God, it didn’t stop them from leaving.”
She added that progressive revenue generated through the tax will help fund improvements to communities that abut Seattle’s stadiums.
Gov. Bob Ferguson, who’s expected to soon sign SB 6346 into law, called the development “exciting news” in a statement to McClatchy.
“As a kid, I grew up watching the Sonics in the old Coliseum,” he said. “As Governor, I’m committed to doing everything I can to bring back the Sonics.”
The first-term governor talked with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver last month and voiced his interest in getting the Sonics back, according to KOMO News.
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