Seattle mayor subtly drops hint about return of Sonics franchise before claiming he was joking

Seattle SuperSonics fans of yesteryear had their hearts skip a beat earlier on Tuesday as Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell teased the crowd amidst his State of the City address with a basketball in hand while stating that he had an announcement. However, the statement that immediately stirred the crowd was just that — a statement intended as a break from a long speech.

Seattle is a renowned basketball city that celebrated its Sonics for years before a failed attempt to obtain public funding led the owners to sell the team to Oklahoma-based ownership, which saw the franchise being relocated. The Seattle faithful had just seen their team draft Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and were probably looking forward to a golden era for the team when the shocking move occurred.

The mayor's pump-fake proved to add salt to a deep wound, and although this isn't the first time the mayor has teased the franchise's return to Seattle, it must still hurt as bad as it did on earlier occasions.

The league has announced its intentions to expand by two franchises, with commissioner Adam Silver hinting at Las Vegas, Seattle and Mexico City as prospective markets for expansion. The city of Seattle, which has existing infrastructure and a dedicated fan base, hopes they can cheer for their own NBA team again.

The Sonics reportedly have a deal with the Thunder that would see their Seattle history returned to their records

If the Seattle SuperSonics were to return to the NBA, it would be as if a sleeping giant woke up after a deep hibernation. According to sources, the OKC Thunder and the Sonics have a legal agreement that states that the team's associated logos, colors and trademark will be transferred to the ownership, bringing the basketball franchise back to Seattle.

OKC has also not used Seattle's banners or retired jerseys at their stadium and has respected the history associated with one of the NBA's storied franchises — a fact that remains well-appreciated by the Sonics faithful.

Ray Allen, Seattle's last All-Star, in action for the team - Source: Getty

The Sonics legend shall be part of basketball lore through the careers of greats like Jack Sikma, Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Ray Allen. But a return of the historic franchise would be something that basketball purists and nostalgic fans even outside of Seattle would welcome.