Reed: Hawks interested in renovated Philips Arena, civic center site, or mystery property elsewhere in city (Update)

? In late June, Tony Ressler, the new owner of the Atlanta Hawks said that the team had three options with Philips Arena. Basically, in the words of AJC columnist Mark Bradley: remodel, rebuild, or do nothing. The latter wasn’t an option. 
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? Today Mayor Kasim Reed told reporters that he thinks rehabbing the approximately 16-year-old arena is on the team’s mind — as are other pieces of property, one of which is owned by the city. 
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? “I’ve had one meeting with Tony and his team,” Reed said during a Q&A after announcing the city’s proposed $40.5 million overhaul of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. “And the bottom line is, my sense is, there are probably three solutions they’re looking at as it relates to the Hawks. One does involve the civic center and one involves the rehab of the facility they’re in.”
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? Reed declined to discuss the location of the third piece of land because it’s a potential real estate deal. He did say, however, that the parcel is located in the city. 
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?“We are committed to a great arena and providing an outstanding fan experience,” Hawks Spokesman Garin Narain says in an emailed statement. “We are open to all options that aid in those goals, which includes remodeling Philips Arena and also transforming the downtown area around it.”
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? When potential new owners of the Hawks started jockeying for position last September, Reed said that keeping the team in the city limits long-term might require “assistance” or incentives.
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? “What I wasn’t going to do was have a public conversation and inform you that wasn’t a possibility,” Reed said at the time. “I don’t know right now that we will. But if you look at other teams, the cities have provided some form of assistance.”
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? Today Reed said again that he’s not opposed to having discussions about incentives with the team — and brokering a deal that involves public assistance.
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? “What I’m willing to do is come to the table with a plan that makes sense and is fair to the people of Atlanta,” he says. “I’m not opposed to participating in a reasonable plan to make sure that the Hawks remain in the city.”