Just a few days remain before competing bidders for the Kings go before the NBA's Board of Governors on Wednesday to make their cases, so news regarding the future of the team won't be in short supply. Here's the latest, with any updates added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com doesn't agree with Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson's assertion that Sacramento has a 90% chance of keeping the Kings, but a source tells the ESPN scribe that Sacramento is "gaining momentum" in its effort to keep the team. Stein, who was told that the battle between Seattle and Sacramento is too close to call at this point, also hears that the determining factor will come down to simply how much money Sacramento bidders can pony up in their counteroffer to Chris Hansen's Seattle group.
- Minority owner John Kehriotis has ended his bid for the team after a critical financial backer withdrew from the effort, reports Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee. Kehriotis, like the primary Sacramento bidding group led by Vivek Ranadive, aimed to keep the Kings in town.
- Hansen's group has filed court documents confirming their deal to buy minority owner Bob Cook's 7% share of the team, Bizjak reports in the same piece. Four other minority owners have a right to match the offer, and two told Bizjak they're considering doing so.
- Johnson is nearing his goal of having 10,000 Sacramento-area residents pledge to buy Kings season tickets in advance of Wednesday's meeting. More than 9,000 pledges are in at HereWeBuy.org as of Saturday afternoon, up from about 7,500 a couple days ago.