Report: NBA planning pre-season game in Seattle

The NBA’s Kings might play in Seattle in 2018.

Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee is reporting rumors of a potential pre-season match-up featuring the Sactown squad hitting the court in the Emerald City prior to the 2018-19 NBA season.

According to her sources, there is no word on an opponent, but they seem firm that the event will take place. This would be the first NBA game played in Seattle since the SuperSonics left for Oklahoma City in 2008.

This is an interesting development given the history of Seattle and the Kings.

In 2013, an investment group led by Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer had a tentative sales agreement to purchase the Sacramento Kings from the Maloof family. The group’s intent was to relocate the franchise to Seattle. The relocation was ultimately denied by the NBA’s owners, nullifying the sale, and keeping the team in Sacto with new ownership and eventually a new arena to call home.

This pre-season game would likely take place in the former KeyArena. It would be one of the last events in the old arena before planned demolition and construction of the new arena would begin.

Look forward to more news as it becomes available.

UPDATE 3:40 pm

Voisin is now reporting that the game is official, according to multiple league sources. It will be a homecoming of sorts for Kevin Durant as the Kings will take on the Golden State Warriors on October 6th. Voisin says the contract is not yet signed, but that it merely a formality.