Save the Sonics, Kevin Durant!

The effort by Seattle Supersonics owner Clay Bennett and his accomplice Commissioner David Stern to tear the team away from fans who have been nothing but loyal to it for 41 years should be an offensive wake-up call to sports fans everywhere. Mr. Bennett, despite his claims soon after buying the team to keep the Sonics where they belong, clearly intended to move the team to Oklahoma City from the beginning, and he lied to millions of the best fans in sports.

It seems there is not really much the fans of the Sonics, or sports fans in general, can do to prevent this deal or to punish Mr. Bennett for his thievery of a franchise. However, there is one voice that Mr. Bennett would listen to above all others. That voice, Mr. Durant, is yours.

The sale of the Cleveland Cavaliers soon after drafting LeBron James demonstrates the value of a star player to a franchise. Soon after drafting The King, Gordon Gund sold the team for $375 million, much more than it would have been worth had the ping pong balls not bounced their way.

You, Mr. Durant, have that same kind of power over your owner. If you were to decide to leave Mr. Bennett's team at the end of your contract, he personally would lose tens of millions of dollars. We, the undersigned, are asking you to use this influence to save basketball in Seattle. We are asking you to announce at your earliest convenience that you will not under any circumstances re-sign with his team if the city of Seattle is not allowed to keep the Sonics. In order to maximize the impact of this decision, we would also ask that you not agree to any sort of sign-and-trade agreement, which would benefit Mr. Bennett.

We understand that, given the rules governing player contracts in the NBA, you would be giving up a substantial amount of money by not re-signing with your current team. However, we, the undersigned, by signing this petition, promise, at the time of your signing with another team, to purchase your choice of either a pair of your Nike shoes or an officially licensed Kevin Durant jersey for your new team. Hopefully, as more and more sports fans around the world sign this petition, this promise will more than offset any financial losses you would take on your contract. And by announcing your decision now, teams will be able to clear cap space in an effort to sign you. And, of course, given the power of the narrative of a star standing up for his fans, every team in the NBA will have season-ticket holders pleading with their front offices to bring you to their team.

Beyond any financial implications of this effort to save the Sonics, your popularity and standing in the city of Seattle and with sports fans everywhere would be astronomical, even if this effort came up short. Fans worship as heroes men who have a few decent years for their favorite teams. Imagine how they will think of you, the savior of Seattle basketball.

Mr. Bennett is first and foremost a businessman, and he would no doubt recognize the implications of losing a star of your stature. While he is no doubt focused on bringing basketball to Oklahoma, you could make the option of stealing the Sonics much less attractive. It might then be in his interest to pursue another option, such as selling the Sonics to a Seattle group, buying the Memphis franchise, which has never caught on and has nowhere near the history of the Sonics in Seattle, and moving them to OKC (for more detail on this plan, and a historic precedent, check out Sports Guy Bill Simmons' article on www.espn.com posted 2/29/2008). At the very least, perhaps Mr. Bennett could use his influence to secure a promise of an expansion franchise in Seattle soon, similar to the Cleveland Browns situation in the 90's. Bottom-line, Mr. Bennett will find a way to keep basketball in Seattle, if you are willing to stand up for your fans and fans everywhere.