Karen Davidson, the current owner of the Pistons, briefly spoke about the future of the franchise yesterday, saying that it is expected to be sold by late October. In other words, a new owner is expected to be in place before the start of the 2010-11 season, which would give the franchise some stability before tipping off the new slate of games.
Davidson also called the Pistons a "premier franchise" and said Joe Dumars is not facing any financial restrictions this summer. That is important because often times when a franchise is in limbo, general managers will be forced to deal with a cap on spending. The Texas Rangers, for example, are very much in limbo right now, and although their situation is a bit more complex than the Pistons', it may be tough for them to make any big moves at the trading deadline because of their up-in-the-air status.
For the Pistons, it seems that there is a decent amount of interest in the team. However, the question becomes whether or not that interest will translate into a sale that gives Davidson what she is looking for. She probably isn't going to just unload the team to the first respectable bid, so it will be interesting to see how this develops over the summer and in the months leading up to the season.