Here we wait.

Sacramento officials took their last shot at keeping the Kings on Tuesday, unveiling a group of corporations that agreed to put down deposits on $10 million worth of sponsorships and ticket sales next season.

"The NBA has said to Sacramento, 'Show me the money,' " a beaming Mayor Kevin Johnson said, flanked by 30 business leaders outside Golden 1 Credit Union offices. "And today, we're doing just that."

Now the team's fate lies mostly in the hands of the NBA and its relocation committee, which is investigating whether Sacramento is a more viable market than Anaheim. The league's top brass have made it clear they are interested in keeping the team here at least one more year.

The Maloofs, who own the Kings, may still seek a move, regardless of what league officials tell them to do. A source close to the team said the Maloofs have concerns about long-term corporate support in Sacramento and the region's ability to finance a new arena.

Many close to the situation, including Johnson, don't expect to know if the Kings will seek a move until Monday – the NBA deadline to file.

While the NBA historically has approved most relocation requests without much resistance, the Maloofs have been surprised by the friction they've encountered, according to a consultant familiar with the Kings' finances.

"They thought this thing was going to sail through the league," said the source, who refused to be identified.

The Maloofs face outside pressures as well. An ownership group led by billionaire Ron Burkle and Sacramento lobbyist Darius Anderson remains in play, looking to purchase the Kings should they stay in Sacramento.

On Tuesday, Johnson and business leaders aimed to convince the NBA that Sacramento can support the Kings. A team of league officials – led by the NBA's marketing guru, Chris Granger – met with the local group.

Emerging from the two-hour meeting, Johnson said the businesses had made "a down payment on the future of the Sacramento Kings." Several business representatives said they signed letters of intent at the meeting and have agreed to write checks by the end of this week for 20 percent of their first-year pledges.

The mayor released a list of companies that agreed to make deposits but declined to divulge how much each had given. A spokeswoman for one company on the list, Susan Brauner of Blue Diamond Growers, said her firm has not made a pledge.

A mayoral spokesman said the mayor's office is talking with Blue Diamond. Later the mayor issued a statement: "This process has moved at warp speed, and we understand that some companies may need a little more time. In the case of Blue Diamond, if there has been any confusion on our part, we apologize."

NBA Commissioner David Stern had sought the pledges, but the league would not comment on Tuesday's presentation. Neither would the Kings.

The NBA will spend the next 30 days analyzing whether the pledges fit the available sponsorships and luxury suites at Power Balance Pavilion.

Many of the corporations made multiyear commitments, the mayor's office said. But the $10 million was seen as a way to buy one more year for the franchise in Sacramento while progress is made on a new arena. If progress isn't made, one more year is likely all the city will get.

"(The Maloofs) can't stay under the status quo (arena arrangement)," the consultant familiar with the Maloofs' finances said. And if they are told they can't leave, and an arena plan goes nowhere, "then and only then will they consider selling this team."

Burkle and Anderson loom large, despite the Maloofs' insistence they won't sell.

Anderson, who is well-known in political circles, has worked closely with Johnson and Councilman Rob Fong in recent weeks and was at the center of the fundraising effort that put together the corporate pledges.

Lloyd Greif, a Los Angeles investment banker and longtime friend of Burkle's, said the billionaire's presence shifted momentum in Sacramento's favor and was a factor in the NBA's deliberations.

"All of a sudden, riding to the scene comes one of the wealthiest men in America saying he wants to own the team in Sacramento," he said. "And you think the NBA owners aren't paying attention? Of course they are."

Even if the Kings remain in Sacramento another year, Stern has made it clear that the team's long-term future here depends on the region's ability to produce an arena.

Johnson said a new arena campaign would start the moment the city is told "we're lucky enough to be given another year (of the Kings) in Sacramento." Unlike past efforts, this one will involve more than just the city of Sacramento. One idea under discussion is a multi-county joint powers authority.

Even as Sacramento scrambles to keep the Kings, it's moving to protect itself financially if the team leaves. On Tuesday, the state Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill requiring the Kings to immediately repay $77 million they owe the city if they leave.

The bill's author, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, and two other area legislators sent Stern a letter urging the NBA to keep the team in town.

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