Gov. Bob Ferguson remains optimistic Sonics will return ahead of meeting with Adam Silver

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson will meet virtually with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Thursday afternoon.

It is at least the third meeting between the two men this year.

Ferguson announced the meeting during a news conference at the state Capitol on Wednesday.

“I still remain optimistic,” Ferguson said.

“I follow the same news that you do, you know, about what’s going on with Las Vegas and Seattle,” he added.

The meeting comes as the NBA moves closer to a decision on expansion.

In March, the league’s Board of Governors voted unanimously to explore expansion in Seattle and Las Vegas.

Both teams could potentially take the court for the 2028-29 season.

The league also retained an investment bank to evaluate both markets.

That evaluation covers arenas, potential ownership groups and other economic factors.

If Seattle and Las Vegas join the league, the NBA would expand from 30 to 32 teams.

An expansion team is reportedly expected to pay between $7 billion and $10 billion to join the league.

Silver has said the league hopes to resolve the expansion discussion by the end of 2026.

But Silver has also acknowledged there is “absolutely a chance” that expansion does not occur.

He has also said it could occur in only one city.

Ferguson first met Silver virtually on Feb. 5.

That meeting was a virtual introduction Ferguson had requested.

They met again in March as the league moved closer to formally exploring expansion.

The first meeting came a month after Ferguson used his State of the State address to call for the SuperSonics’ return.

Seattle has been without an NBA franchise since 2008.

That year, the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder.

The Sonics won the NBA championship in 1979.

Ferguson said he has tried to convey the interest and excitement the city and region still have for the team.

“What I do know is, Seattle has a deep history here with Sonics basketball,” Ferguson said Wednesday.

“I lived it as a kid, living close to the old coliseum,” he added.

“And look, I think fans and NBA players across the country understand that really NBA basketball needs to return to Seattle,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson also said an offer put forward by Seattle investors is “strong.”

He said the city checks “each and every box that the NBA could possibly hope for.”

“My role in this is to maintain communication with the commissioner,” Ferguson said.

“My suspicion is, we reached out to make sure that I’m doing what I can to be helpful in that process, to bring a team back to Seattle,” he added.

“So I certainly remain optimistic and look forward to talking to the commissioner,” Ferguson said.

Fans responding to news of the latest meeting were less optimistic.

“Well that seals it… Sonics ain’t comin’ back,” one fan wrote.

Another fan added, “It’s over.”

“Oh, we’re doomed,” a third fan commented.

One observer was particularly critical of Washington state.

“We all know there is zero chance of the Sonics coming back to this mess of a state,” that person wrote.

Other reactions focused on what Ferguson could accomplish during the meeting.

“Don’t screw this up, please,” a fan remarked.

Another made a direct appeal to the governor, telling him to “bring it home.”

The meeting on Thursday is the latest step in a long process.

Any expansion would still require approval from the league’s current owners.

The NBA has 30 franchises.

Adding teams in Las Vegas and Seattle would mark its first expansion since the Charlotte Bobcats joined the league in 2004.

The potential expansion is also central to a separate debate about the NBA schedule.

Bill Simmons, founder of The Ringer, has criticized Silver over the 82-game regular season.

Simmons argues the season should be cut to 70 games.

He called the current schedule “inexcusable and semi-reprehensible.”

“You’re ruining your players … and you’re hurting careers, and you’re shortening careers,” Simmons said on his podcast.

“This should be a 70-game season,” he added.

“And if you talk to literally everybody who plays basketball, all of them would say the season needs to be shorter,” Simmons said.

“And if you don’t do it at this point, I just think it’s negligent,” he added.