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(SB Nation, Bill Hanstock) There have been rumblings for some time about the Golden State Warriors considering a move back to San Francisco. Now it appears as though those rumors are about to become a reality.
According to the San Jose Mercury News Warriors fan blog Fast Break (via Twitter) the team has finalized plans to move to San Francisco and an official announcement could come as soon as Tuesday. The new location for the team would be on Pier 31/32 and would be funded by private money, which would mean that the new Warriors arena would be just down the street from the San Francisco Giants and AT&T Park.
At this time, this report is unconfirmed.
Fast Break also reports that the new bay-front arena will be a state-of-the-art multi-use facility, which will also house concerts and other functions. This would further revitalize an already resurgent downtown. This is just what merchants in the area have been asking for, as business takes severe hits around the piers and AT&T Park when it is not baseball season.
If all goes well, the move would happen in 2017. Parking remains a concern, as only 1,000 parking spaces would be included in the plans. However, the public transportation options in San Francisco, including Muni and BART, are both top-notch.