Washington governor meets NBA's Adam Silver over Sonics return.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson is set to meet with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Thursday for a virtual discussion about bringing the Seattle SuperSonics back to the league.

The meeting comes as the NBA moves closer to a final decision on expansion, with Seattle and Las Vegas as the only two markets under formal consideration.

Ferguson announced the meeting Wednesday at the conclusion of his postelection media availability at the state Capitol in Olympia.

His office reached out to set it up.

"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."

This will be the third time Ferguson and Silver have spoken about the Sonics.

They first met virtually on Feb. 5, after Ferguson requested the introduction.

That initial meeting came one month after Ferguson used his State of the State address to publicly call for the SuperSonics' return.

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

In March, the NBA's Board of Governors voted to officially explore expansion into Seattle and Las Vegas.

The league also hired an investment bank to evaluate both markets, including their arenas and potential ownership groups.

Ferguson said he remains optimistic about Seattle's chances.

"I think what I would say is I still remain optimistic," Ferguson said.

"I read all the same news that you do about what is going on with Las Vegas and Seattle."

"I don't pretend to have a crystal ball on that and those conversations going on with NBA owners."

"That said, what I do know is Seattle has a deep history here with Sonic basketball."

"I lived it as a kid, living close to the old Coliseum."

"Look, I think fans and NBA players across the country understand that NBA basketball needs to return to Seattle."

"Our bid is strong, we have the right arena."

"I mean, we check each and every box that the NBA could possibly hope to have for someone bidding for a new team."

The bid from One Roof Sports and Entertainment has been viewed as the only viable bid from the outset for bringing the league back to Seattle.

Meanwhile, a bidding war between three groups has developed in Las Vegas.

A decision on the winning group in Las Vegas is expected soon.

The league has said it still intends to make a final decision on expansion before the end of the calendar year.

Seattle has been without an NBA franchise since the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 and became the Thunder.

The SuperSonics won the NBA championship in 1979.

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

Silver has acknowledged that the NBA could decide against expanding at all.

Fans reacting to news of the latest meeting were largely skeptical.

"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."

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 skepticism comes amid a broader backlash against Silver.

Fans have been calling Silver the "worst commissioner of all time" and saying "he's making the NBA unwatchable" over his recent proposal to shorten NBA games to 40 minutes.

The idea was floated as a way to curb injuries, but it drew immediate and intense criticism.

Bill Simmons, founder of The Ringer, also ripped Silver on his podcast Tuesday over the league's 82-game schedule.

Simmons called the schedule "inexcusable and semi-reprehensible" and accused Silver of "negligence and greed."

"You're ruining your players … and you're hurting careers, and you're shortening careers," Simmons said.

"This should be a 70-game season."

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

"And if you don't do it at this point, I just think it's negligent."