Sacramento Businessmen Ask Commissioner David Stern To Force Kings' Sale

Several Sacramento-area businessmen sent a letter to NBA commissioner David Stern Thursday asking him to "strongly encourage" the Maloof family to sell the Kings, according to ESPN.com. The crux of the argument revolves around the city leaders' desire for the Kings to build a new arena.

"We feel it is time for the Maloofs to sell their ownership of the franchise, for the good of the city and in the interest of advancing Sacramento's effort to build a downtown arena," a portion of the letter reads. "The city, the fans and the NBA deserve and require an ownership group that is fully committed to being a good-faith constructive participant in the arena process."

For their part, the Maloofs were said to be "saddened and disappointed" by the developments.