Mayor Kevin Johnson and Kings co-owner George Maloof spoke again Tuesday morning and have decided to meet in person within the next few days in what will likely be a make-or-break session.
The mayor told reporters Tuesday that the next meeting will probably determine whether the city's collapsed arena deal is back on, or if "we don't have the makings of a deal."
Asked how confident he was that a deal would be resurrected between the city and its NBA team, Johnson said he was "hopeful rather than confident."
A Maloof spokesman told The Bee's Tony Bizjak that the meeting would take place Thursday morning in Sacramento. But aides to the mayor said they had not confirmed their schedule.
Maloof told The Bee's Dale Kasler that he'll probably be joined at the meeting by his brother Gavin, plus minority partner John Kehriotis and John Rinehart, the team's senior vice president for business operations.
"We're going to do the best we can, try to get something done," George Maloof said.
At this point, the major dividing line between the city and the Maloofs is the revenue projection associated with the plan to finance a $391 million arena in the downtown railyard.
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