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Seattle mayor Jenny Durkan said on Thursday that she is "pretty optimistic" about the NBA returning to the city. Speaking to local reporters in Seattle, Durkan revealed that she's been in regular contact with commissioner Adam Silver, and spoke to him shortly before Christmas. 

Earlier this week, a report indicated that the league is exploring the possibility of expansion, with a new team fee starting at $2.5 billion. Offers are expected to come from both Seattle and Las Vegas. After the shutdown from the COVID-19 pandemic, and ensuing economic challenges, the league is in need of cash and sees the new team fees as an opportunity to recoup lost revenue. 

Any time NBA expansion is mentioned, Seattle is always going to be the first city that comes to mind. And if it does end up happening, it would be a shock if they don't get a team. Still, despite her optimism, Durkan hedged when speaking to reporters. 

"Number one, the commissioner never gets ahead of the owners," Durkan said. "And number two, if you want a city that wants a team, don't get ahead of either of them. But it is very good news for the city of Seattle that they are thinking of an expansion team. And I was honest with him. He knows Seattle wants to be at the front of the line. We're where the team should be. But we will be respecting them as they move forward to their ownership because the (owners), you know, has to approve it."

Perhaps the most interesting item from from Durkan's comments was when she hinted at expansion happening sooner rather than later. That goes against a report from ESPN's Brian Windhorst, which said expansion is likely years away. 

"They've got to make the decision there first." Durkan added, referring to the owners. "I think that [Silver] saying it publicly means that they are very seriously considering it, and if you look at how sports moves, I don't think it's going to be a long multiyear process. I think it can be a shorter process than that, but it might be, you know, more than one year."

For what it's worth, the last time the league added a team was the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004, and the city was awarded that team two years before they started play. 

Seattle has been without an NBA team since 2008, when the SuperSonics left for Oklahoma City. The main issue at the time was the city being unwilling to put public money toward a new arena. That is no longer an issue, as the old Key Arena was renovated to the tune of $900 million and renamed Climate Pledge Arena ahead of the city's NHL expansion team beginning play in 2021.