The owner of Major League Baseball’s Detroit Tigers and the National Hockey League’s Red Wings said Monday he hopes to buy the National Basketball Association’s Detroit Pistons, a move that could bring the team back into the city limits from its current suburban home.
The move could also advance a plan to build a new downtown arena for the Red Wings, the Associated Press reported.
Mike Ilitich, who also owns Little Caesars Pizza, is considering building a new home for the Red Wings, which the Pistons could share, according to the report.
The Pistons currently play at the Palace of Auburn Hills in suburban Detroit. Pistons owner Karen Davidson is expected to sell the team by October.
“When I read in the paper there was the chance that this great sports town could lose one of its professional sports franchises, I just didn’t see how we could let that happen,” Ilitich was quoted as saying.
Detroit Mayor and former Pistons player Dave Bing Monday issued a statement about the possible move.
“The news is early, but promising,” he said. “The city of Detroit is excited about the opportunity of welcoming the Pistons back home!”
