Oak View Group is "denying" any involvement with a reported Warriors-Kings NBA preseason game planned for KeyArena , according to Geoff Baker of the SEATTLE TIMES. The denial is "understandable, but also ridiculous" given how OVG CEO Tim Leiweke has been friends with Warriors President & COO Rick Welts "going on about two decades." Leiweke has "oft-stated he 'can’t get ahead of commissioners' so he wouldn’t want his name tied to a game most will automatically view as a showcase to lobby the NBA." But it would be "foolish to believe Leiweke didn’t approve this," given the $1.25B "gamble he and his hockey owner partners are making that they’ll have KeyArena remodeled in time" for the '20-21 NHL season. The October date for the NBA game "leaves time to complete the arena within 20-to-24-months and meet the NHL schedule." But it is "cutting things close." The game "likely boils down" to Welts, a Seattle native, "wanting to do some good, while helping Leiweke in the process." The NBA "likely isn’t coming" to Seattle for a "good five years, wanting a couple of NHL seasons to observe how KeyArena handles revenue sharing with the city and new tenant hockey club." Five years is a "long time," so playing the game in Seattle "breaks that up and keeps NBA interest heightened" ( SEATTLE TIMES, 2/24 ).
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