While the issue of where the New York Liberty will play its games for the immediate future has been resolved (for now), a similar conversation could be on the verge of taking place out on the west coast.
With the ink dry on Oak View Group’s $600+ million renovation proposal for KeyArena, aimed at luring NHL and NBA teams to the venue, it means for a couple of seasons, the Seattle Storm will be displaced from KeyArena.
The Storm, last year, struck a deal with the City of Seattle that extends the franchise’s lease at KeyArena through the 2028 season. The agreement calls for Force 10 Hoops, the Storm’s owners, to be paid $100,000 annually for every year the Storm are displaced from The Key.
According to a report out of KUOW 94.9 radio, a spokesperson for the Storm said they are in “preliminary talks” about the move from KeyArena while it is being given a fresh coat of paint.
The issue with the Storm is sure to garner more attention as we get closer and closer to the time where the team will move, which is slated to be prior to the 2019 season after that year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament. While nothing is known at the moment, here are some venues that could ideally play host to Seattle’s lone pro hoops franchise.
Hec Edmunson Pavilion
Photo Credit: Jason Redmond/Associated Press
If the primary desire of the Storm is to stay in the Seattle city limits during the KeyArena renovations, the basketball venue at the University of Washington may be a safe bet. An arrangement where the Storm called UW its temporary home would be similar to what the Atlanta Dream are doing now – playing at Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion while Philips Arena is undergoing work.
Tacoma Dome
Photo Credit: Peter Haley/Tacoma News-Tribune
If the suburbs provide more of an option for the Storm, the Tacoma Dome could be a suitable venue as well. It seats a similar capacity to the Alaska Airlines Arena at the Hec Ed, but the problem with this venue is, of course location. It is about 30 minutes away from downtown Seattle.
Angel of the Winds Arena
Photo Credit: Andy Bronson/The Daily Herald
This is another suburban arena located in Everett – and roughly the same distance as it is from Seattle to Tacoma. Currently, its primary tenant is a Western Hockey League team, but it seats less for hockey than it does for the concerts it stages. Angel of the Winds is a casino owned by the Stillguamish Indian Tribe — similar to Mohegan Sun Arena, the Connecticut Sun’s home venue which is at the Mohegan Sun Casino & Resort.
ShoWare Center
Photo Credit: Ted S. Warren/AP
This Kent-based arena is a bit closer to downtown Seattle than is either the Tacoma Dome or Angel of the Winds Arena and is the home of the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. While this venue’s location could be slightly more favorable from a distance standpoint, it may not be from a seating capacity standpoint as its currently is less than either of the three aforementioned venues.
If the Storm were to move for a couple of seasons to the Seattle suburbs as KeyArena is being renovated, it would possibly be to a location where it would be roughly the same distance as Rosemont (where the Chicago Sky previously played) to downtown Chicago, Arlington (where the Dallas Wings play) to downtown Dallas, and from White Plains to New York City.
By: Akiem Bailum (@AkiemBailum on Twitter, Instagram)
