Earlier Thursday, Sacramento Kings co-owner George Maloof stated that the reported sale to Chris Hansen's Seattle-based group was not close. Aaron Bruski of NBCSports.com tweets that Wednesday's reports of an imminent sale continue to be premature, citing sources close to the negotiations.
Speaking at a public event on Thursday in Washington, D.C., NBA commissioner David Stern addressed the Kings' situation. Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets that Stern does not plan to get personally involved in the negotiation or potential relocation process, leaving those responsibilities to the NBA's board of governors. Zillgitt adds that Stern believes an ownership group committed to keeping the Kings in Sacramento should be given a fair chance to match the offer made by the Seattle group.
Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com spoke to Kings head coach Keith Smart, who understands that the uncertainty of the team's ownership status could pose a distraction for the players and the coaching staff. However, Smart believes the players will be able to tune out the speculation.