16 years ago today, the city of Seattle and Clay Bennett reached a settlement, ending the city’s lawsuit to block the Sonics’ move to Oklahoma City.
Under the terms of the settlement, Bennett agreed to pay the city $45 million in damages. In return, the city agreed to drop its lawsuit and allow the Sonics to move to Oklahoma City.
The settlement was a major victory for Clay Bennett and the Oklahoma City Thunder and marked the end of a long and contentious saga over the future of the Sonics. The settlement was a compromise between the two sides. The city of Seattle wanted to keep the Sonics in Seattle, but it was ultimately unable to do so. Clay Bennett wanted to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City, and he was able to do so with the settlement, while also breaking the final two years of the Sonics’ lease at Key Arena, with the settlement.
