Maloofs move significantly to meet Sac’s proposal, Kings fans provide political cover for arena deal to get done

In the end, it was about a city and its team, and the will to fight for what was theirs.

Kevin Johnson did the heavy lifting and the heavy hitters moved the ball forward, but it was the Sacramento Kings fans that gave the local politicians the will and the way to see the Kings arena deal to fruition.

The Maloofs and Johnson emerged from Monday’s arena talks with tears in their eyes and an arena deal ready to go. In speaking with sources on the Sacramento negotiating team this morning, even they did not know that an arena deal was coming back with city manager John Shirey on the flight home.

Moreover, other sources involved with negotiations indicated that the Maloofs moved over $20-$30 million on their position coming into today’s meeting, with Sam Amick reporting that the inclusion of a Maloof-paid ticket surcharge provided the mechanism.

While the symbolic celebration is yet to come (hold onto your hats Sacramento), this marks the end of a year-long journey that saw the Kings all-but leave town. I attended the potential final game in Sacramento against the hated Lakers, and watched as grown men cried and thousands refused to leave the stadium. I listened as some of the media in attendance snickered at the audacity of fans to believe they could keep their team.

Nobody, and I repeat nobody, had the Kings staying in Sacramento.

And because of those resolute fans, everybody from the mayor to the city council, the media and the team, and the ultimately the NBA – were forced to believe that a deal could be done.

They chanted at games and made fliers, they made movies, they attended city council meetings, and they used Twitter like they owned it. There was a group called #HereWeStay that started the social media fire, a local radio host named Carmichael Dave with an affinity for Braveheart moments, and a group called #Fans that delivered human PowerPoint presentations at city council meetings.

And there were many more. They were extremely organized, and they numbered in thousands. And for all the heavy hitters that drove the process, they wouldn’t have gotten past first base if the local media and pols didn’t have the political cover those fans provided. Everywhere you turned, it was #HereWeThis and #HereWeThat, supplemented by the education-driven #FANS group that hammered home the message that the arena was #BiggerThanBasketball.

Indeed, the arena is going to revitalize an area of Sacramento that desperately needs help, boosting the local economy while providing jobs and increased property tax revenue for years to come. It’s the shot in the arm the region needs to get back on its feet, and for once, Kings fans get the win that has eluded them for so long.

There are more steps to go as the term sheet will now be brought home by Shirey and the city council will look it over the next few days. As I reported for ProBasketballTalk last week, as long as a set of achievable criteria is met, they will have at least the five votes necessary to approve a parking plan that will solidify the city’s contribution. The fact is, however, that the city of Sacramento doesn’t walk out of that meeting with a deal not knowing if they have the votes to get it done.

The council will vote on March 6 to approve the term sheet and from there only insignificant procedural votes will remain on the to-do list. The Maloofs will ultimately pay in the ballpark of $70 to $77 million toward the cost of the $387-400 million Entertainment and Sports Complex, which is set to open in 2015. It’s my prediction that we’ll learn about an All Star game landing in Sacto in 2016.

The rest of the details will be fleshed out as the parties return to Sacramento and cross the Ts and dot the Is.

For now though, none of that matters. Kings fans have been on pins and needles for well over a year – and they finally get to take a day off. Even those of us in the media covering the story on a daily basis, we’ll take a breath and just enjoy a good story that ended well. And if you own a bar in the Sacramento area tonight, it’s probably a good time to make some purple beer.

Congratulations Kings fans, the Dom Perignon is in the mail.