Sacramento Edges Closer to New Arena Deal to Keep Kings in Town

The Sacramento Kings may have lost their gameon Tuesday night, but the city of Sacramento inched closer to pulling off a huge win of its own.

Sacramento moved another step closer to keeping the Kings in town, turning what was once viewed as impossible into something now considered very probable.

The City Council unanimously approved a measure Tuesday evening that continues the city’s plans for a new entertainment complex that would keep the Kings in town.

The council, led by Major Kevin Johnson, forwarded the plan by a vote of 9-0 to allow staff to begin detailed talks with 11 firms seeking to lease downtown public parking. The privatization of some of the city’s parking areas is expected to bring in a majority of the money needed to build the new entertainment complex.

Johnson and the city will have two weeks to finalize their budget plan and figure out which of the private companies they would potentially lease the parking to.

A vote on the lease is expected on February 28, two days before the NBA's imposed deadline. While a "yes" vote would likely lock the Kings as staying in town, a "no" vote would pretty much seal the team’s departure from Sacramento.

Optimism in Sacramento is so high that the council should vote "yes" come February 28.

On Tuesday, Johnson said the vote could be “potentially historic”.

Yet, a "yes" decision is hardly a lock for Sacramento, as multiple council members still say they have questions that need to be answered.

Aside from negotiations with the 11 firms who are looking to lease the parking, the city staff is in serious negotiations with the NBA, the Kings themselves and big time arena operator AEG.

The exact size of contributions from each party still remains up in the air. Despite the optimism in Sacramento, there remains a good amount of work for Johnson and the city staff to complete before the big vote.

Over the past few weeks, news has spread of efforts in both Seattle and Anaheim to draw the Kings away from Sacramento.

But, should the city council finalize their plan on time and vote "yes" on February 28th, there is little concern that the NBA would walk away from a sure thing in Sacramento and move the team.