The Atlanta Spirit, as has long been suspected by many, are interested only in retaining the Atlanta Hawks NBA team and the Philips Arena. Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada confirms as much in his report. Comparing the Thrashers’ sale saga to a roller coaster (which is been about as smooth as the Scream Machine), Friedman makes mention of the fact that the ownership group only wants to unload the hockey team, which has been making the sale difficult.
If you remember, many of the prospective and rumored local owners and ownership groups have been interested in the Hawks, Thrashers, and Philips Arena. This is probably the issue as to why a local sale has yet to be completed. Also, as noted before, Forbes has speculated that the Hawks and Philips are also for sale, but why split the sale up?
Selling the Thrashers makes it easier to sell the Hawks and Philips for a higher sum of money to an individual or group who only would be interested in owning a basketball team. The Thrashers have “proven” themselves to be dead weight, and the Hawks would go quicker sans the albatross around their neck. It’s all about money – the Atlanta Spirit will do anything to make as much as possible while removing themselves from an ownership situation that has been nothing but miserable for everyone involved from day one.