Empty threats to relocate the Milwaukee Bucks to Las Vegas proved, as expected, meaningless. The Wisconsin state senate passed the new arena funding plan which means that no one is going anywhere, and that owners once again get massive financing from the public to build a new stadium.

Be it right or wrong, that’s a thing for another debate. As the date of the vote got closer, the Bucks started making threats of considering to move the franchise to Las Vegas if a public funding plan wasn’t going to be approved by the state. Some of the funding for the new stadium will come from the owners themselves, but unlike what they hinted to when they first bought the team, they have no intention of financing it all themselves.

It’s not that simple moving a franchise, especially not under the conditions the Bucks were purchased for. However, the NBA isn’t always about what’s good for basketball or the city that has been the home to a team for a number of decades. Just ask basketball fans in Seattle. Meanwhile, when the Kings were about to be purchased by a group wanting to move the franchise to Seattle, the NBA and the city of Sacramento found a way to prevent it from happening.

It’s been years since the Bucks have been relevant in terms of looking like a championship threat. They haven’t won a title since 1971 and haven’t been to the finals since 1976. There’s something good happening there right now with Jason Kidd on the sidelines and a talented group of young players assembled. By the time the new arena is completed, maybe the Bucks will be more than just a team that occasionally makes the playoffs.