Payton: Silver will "give us the opportunity to get an expansion team"

Sonics legend Gary Payton recently spoke with Q13's Aaron Levine, and The Glove seemed very optimistic about a return of the NBA to the Emerald City. Levine gave us Payton's quotes in a series of tweets.

Gary Payton: "I think w/ Adam Silver as (#NBA) Commissioner, he's gonna give us the opportunity to get an expansion team... (con't)

— Aaron Levine (@AaronQ13Fox) January 22, 2015

"...He sees how much these people like basketball and how much this is a sports town... (con't)

— Aaron Levine (@AaronQ13Fox) January 22, 2015

"...He's gonna bring something back to us. We just gotta be patient." #NBA

— Aaron Levine (@AaronQ13Fox) January 22, 2015

It's nice to hear not just a plea, but actual optimism that the league will return. Payton is a Hall of Famer, and an analyst for FOX Sports 1, and certainly still has contacts within the league. Whether these comments are coming from a place of knowledge of the league's intentions or are simply speculation remains to be seen, but it's nice to know that the expansion hope extends further than just this blog.