If I Told You That We Could Keep The Sonics and Get A World-Class Convention Center Complex, Is That Something You Think You'd Be Interested In?

On Saturday, Frank Hughes of the Tacoma News-Tribune reported that local real estate developer Dave Sabey had offered to buy the Sonics from Clay Bennett and make them the centerpiece of a development he's planning south of Boeing Field.

By Sunday, Percy Allen of the Seattle Times had interviewed Clay Bennett, who said "I am a friend of Dave Sabey and I respect him as a businessman ... but there's nothing there."

Now, today, Gary Washburn of the Seattle P-I has interviewed Sabey, who says "I have never made an offer to Clay to buy any part of the Sonics. I would consider a very small part of ownership with a much bigger group that has several leadership investors. I just don't know basketball." Here's what Sabey has got in mind:

"After a very preliminary review, the site would work physically for a new large regional convention center," Sabey wrote in an e-mail. "It's in the center of the population base of the region, great freeway access and next to the new light rail and Sounder rail system. It's a great place for a lot of redevelopment options."

Sabey, a lifelong Seattle resident, said his vision includes investments by the region's largest companies such as The Boeing Co. and Microsoft Corp. The building would house corporate functions as well as events featuring the region's growing health care industry.

"I think the only way a major new convention center could be feasible would be to support a future need," Sabey said. "For example, the regional health education, care and research community (the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UW, biotechnology, hospital community) could hold a global annual meeting that would help promote Seattle as the center of world health innovation.

"We could also hold an annual convention on global warming. Seattle's location should help it become the leader in bringing together people worldwide to discuss important issues."