ATLANTA -- Atlanta's mayor says he hopes the Hawks will have a new owner by the end of the year.

Mayor Kasim Reed said Friday that he also got assurance from NBA commissioner Adam Silver last week that the league was committed to keeping the Hawks in Atlanta.

The team has been under fire since racially charged comments by owner Bruce Levenson and general manager Danny Ferry were revealed. Levenson is selling his majority share of the team, and Ferry has taken an indefinite leave of absence.

Reed says he's spoken with numerous people interested in buying the team and keeping it in Atlanta. He says he expects concrete steps toward the sale of the team to be taken in the coming weeks.