Peninsula Daily News news sources

SEATTLE — The National Basketball Association’s Relocation Committee voted unanimously today to recommend that a proposal to move the Sacramento Kings to Seattle be denied.

The committee comprised of 12 NBA owners, including one who moved the former Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City, held their meeting via teleconference.

The NBA Board of Governors, consisting of all 30 team owners, will meet the week of May 13 to issue a final vote on whether the Kings should be moved and likely be renamed the SuperSonics.

The Maloof family has had an agreement since January to sell a 65 percent controlling interest in the Kings to a Seattle group led by hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chairman Steve Ballmer. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson has helped put together a competing counteroffer complete with a new arena plan and an ownership group headed by software tycoon Vivek Ranadive.

The NBA helped broker a deal with the Maloofs and Sacramento to build a new arena in February 2012 after the team had filed to relocate to Anaheim, Calif., the previous year. The Maloofs backed out of the deal not long after to the disappointment of league officials and the anger of the Sacramento community.

Only a simply majority vote of the board of governors is required to approve the relocation of an NBA team, but a three-quarters vote is needed to approve a change in ownership.