Sonics' owner Clay Bennett has fired back at Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels in court documents of a "Machiavellian plan" to force Bennett to sell the team back to Seattle investors, the Seattle Times are reporting.

According to the report, documents obtained by the Sonics' lawyers show the city's lawsuit "has nothing to do with the last two years of the [Sonics' KeyArena] lease."

"This litigation and the recent media frenzy the City helped ignite are part of an agreed-upon strategy between the City and a potential purchaser of the Sonics," said the court filing, referring to a local investor group led by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

Sonics' attorneys are seeking a court order to publicly reveal evidence of what they call the city's "significant duplicity."