When Sonics ownership reached a settlement with the city of Seattle, it paved the way for the team to finally move to Oklahoma City. As a result, KeyArena now has a whole bunch of open dates to fill - 100, to be exact.

The SEATTLE TIMES explains that although the Sonics play(ed) a 41-game home schedule, the arena would reserve extra dates to accommodate some flexibility for the NBA to plan out its season schedule. And there was the factor of possible playoff games to occupy arena space - although that hadn’t been much of a problem in recent years.

But with the loss of its prime tenant, could the KeyArena also witness the loss of its name, and more importantly, its sponsorship money?

KeyBank may decide to pull its name from the arena, since its contract with the city is dependent on having the Sonics play there:

“In the coming weeks, we will be analyzing the settlement to determine how it will affect our agreements with the city and the Sonics,” said Rick Wirthlin, president of KeyBank Seattle-Cascades District.

And it’s doubtful that Seattle Storm or Seattle University Redhawks games will bounce in enough bucks to keep the Key in the arena’s ignition.

Maybe more visits by SbB girls Alex & Denise will keep interest up.