A handful of potential suitors in the U.S. and abroad "are interested in making a play" for the Nets as the auction for Mikhail Prokhorov's franchise "gears up," according to Kosman & Atkinson of the N.Y. POST. Chinese conglomerate Fosun and the Qatari government’s investment fund "have signaled an interest in buying" the team. Interest "is also coming from music mogul David Geffen," who considered a bid for the Clippers last year before the team was sold for a record $2B to Steve Ballmer. Sources said that former Time Warner Chair & CEO Dick Parsons, who was Clippers interim CEO when the NBA forced then-owner Donald Sterling to sell the team, "has eyed the Nets." Still, sources added that Parsons "doesn’t have the cash and would need to line up investors." A source said that the NBA "hasn’t given Prokhorov clarity on whether he can sell" his 80% stake in the team separately from his 45% stake in Barclays Center. SportsBusiness Journal last month reported that the NBA "told Prokhorov he had to sell both." But the source said that the league "hasn’t made a decision." Some believe that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s "goal" is delaying the Nets sale. The Hawks "also are for sale, with bids said to be around" $900M, and the NBA "may not want prospective buyers to be split between the teams." Sources said that Fosun "is also in the bidding for the Hawks" (N.Y. POST, 3/2).
