With the future of the Kings in limbo, we'll round up today's rumors in this post, with any additional updates at the top.
- If the Kings leave Sacramento, the city is owed $77MM from loans it floated to the team 15 years ago, but a legal expert tells Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee that the new owners could get off the hook for less.
- The $525MM price tag set in the agreement between the Maloofs and the Chris Hansen/Howard Ballmer Seattle investors represents a 75% jump in the value of the team over the figure that Forbes magazine estimated last year, notes the Bee's Tom Couzens. That's the largest jump in value for any team this year. We passed along the full list of Forbes valuations earlier this week.
- The Bee's Ailene Voisin hears that the Maloofs received a $425MM offer last year, and wonders why they decided now was the time to sell.
- Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game confirms that Mark Mastrov and Ron Burkle are teaming up for a bid (Sulia link). Still, Bucher says it would be hard to imagine the Seattle group would agree to a $30MM refundable payment without assurance from people more powerful than the Maloofs that the sale would go through.
I think 100 million is reason enough to sell.
I didnt hear that this was up for bid? I dont know why everyone has there panties in a bunch over these other parties bringing in offer to bid when this wasnt an auction in the first place. They already had a sales agreement with a deposit coming in a couple days. This is over.