Did Specter Of NBA Return Hasten Kraken's Firing Of Coach Hakstol?

Above Photo: Bah Gawd! It's Sonics great Detlef Schremph at an NBA exhibition game in Seattle! No one saw this coming!

The intrigue around the firing of Seattle Kraken coach Dave Hakstol keeps getting intrigue-ier.

Like any good mystery story, a surprise character has emerged from the shadows: the Seattle Supersonics.

Wait. What? The city's NBA team has been dormant since carpetbagging owners moved the franchise to Oklahoma City in 2008.

Looking back a few days, there were clues.

Foreshadowing was provided during Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke's recent interview with KING-5 sports director Paul Silvi.

Leiweke hinted that the investment to privately finance Climate Pledge Arena wasn't made just to host an NHL team or first-tier concerts.

"Oklahoma City took our basketball team," Leiweke offered, unprompted. "If I'm a betting man, we're going to have an NBA team (again), by the return of the Sonics."

Decoding The Sonics Connection

On their 32 Thoughts podcast , NHL insiders Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman decoded the implicit suggestion within Leiweke's comments.

Elliotte Friedman: It's kind of a known secret in the NBA that after they get their TV deals done, they're going to consider expansion, bringing back the Supersonics.

Part of this (Hakstol firing), if not most of this, was about, 'We need to make sure if the Supersonics come back,  that our team is a little bit stronger.'

I watched that media conference with Ron Francis. He's a poker face, he doesn't give away a lot - he did not look happy. So not only am I looking at where they're going to go to replace Hakstol. I'm also wondering about the overall sense of the organization.

They need to be more successful, they need to be more entertaining, because the sports marketplace there might be getting a little more crowded. They want to make sure their place is secure.

Dan Could Be The Man

Marek and Friedman admitted the Hakstol dismissal caught them off guard. They suggested the Kraken might find his replacement already within the organization.

Jeff Marek: Caught many by surprise. Some looked at this one and said, 'I don't know. This is a third year expansion team. They're doing okay.' Last year they made the playoffs. I know they had a super-high shooting percentage that they dined out on. That was going to take a dip this season, and it did.

EF: I was surprised. Emily Kaplan of ESPN reported that (player) exit interviews played a very big role. I think things like that are always a factor.

JM: I just assumed it was Dan Bylsma coming up from (Kraken AHL farm team) Coachella Valley at the end of their season.

EF: I have, too. He's a very serious contender.

JM: I wonder if there are more moves coming from the Seattle Kraken this summer.

EF: I think they want to be more aggressive. I do.