"The question is whether Seattle even wants the team," he said while working up a sweat exercising. "If they want them, they have to figure out a way for them to stay. And if they don't it's just a question of where. I'd love to see them stay in Seattle. It's a great city, great fans, just a shame, you know? But I guess sometimes the rain gets to people."
Cuban said the people of city should make a bigger ruckus if they don't want the Sonics to relocate to Oklahoma City or another locale.
"It's not one of those things where you can force people to want them to stay," he said. "If they want them to stay, they want them to stay. And if they don't, they don't. It wasn't like it was a big uproar and that's the thing. You can play politics all you want but it wasn't like people we're screaming and that's a shame because it's a great basketball city."
Cuban is not sold that the Sonics are headed for Oklahoma and he said he is open to any new ideas.
"I don't know that they're going to Oklahoma City, we have to see," he said. "At least as far as my personal vote, I am going to keep all options open. It's a question of what's the biggest available market and what's going to help the NBA the most. So we'll see.
"And the more dependent you are on local revenue, the more important your lease and arena deal is. And the more important you're lease and arena deal is, the worst position that Seattle's in competitively. So I think that the piece the people don't quite understand in Seattle. I think they think it's 1996 and if they can do it think they can do it now.
"But the difference between 10 years ago and today, with the economics of the NBA and the way the collective bargaining agreement is structured is night and day. Night and day. That just puts Seattle is a significant competitive disadvantage.
Cuban isn't sold on Oklahoma City and said he will not vote along with other owners just for the sake of agreement.
"Isn't Oklahoma City bigger than Seattle?" he asked. "In a metropolitan city, I don't know. I haven't seen the numbers. But I don't think it's strong enough. If it isn't I'll vote against it. I am not going in with any preset notions, so we'll see what happens, I am open minded like that."
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