OK, it's not exactly a new idea. But Seattle deputy mayor Tim Ceis says the door remains wide open for Sonics owner Clay Bennett if he'd like to rework the KeyArena lease and call Seattle home.
Ceis also acknowledged the more likely scenario on Friday, indicating there is nothing preventing the city from negotiating a lease buyout when that time comes. But he and mayor Greg Nickels would prefer another route, reopening discussions over KeyArena as a viable site for the Sonics and Storm basketball franchises.
Bennett has made it clear since he bought the teams last July that KeyArena, which was rebuilt in 1995, is not an acceptable venue and he will move to a new city unless conditions for a new arena are agreed upon by Oct. 31.