With one more procedural move, the Sacramento Kings took another step toward Seattle.

NBA commissioner David Stern said Wednesday night that the Seattle group led by Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer, which recently reached an agreement to purchase the Kings, has formally filed for relocation with the league.

A group headed by Chris Hansen has formally filed to relocate the Kings from Sacramento, Calif., to Seattle ahead of a March 1 deadline. AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

Stern spoke in Minneapolis before the Timberwolves hosted San Antonio. He called the Seattle group "very strong," and said the appropriate committees have been convened to look over the proposed sale of the Kings and the prospective move.

Stern said the relocation proposal calls for the team to play in KeyArena for "two years, possibly three," while a new arena in Seattle is being built.

"We have had submitted a signed agreement to have the team sold to a very strong group from Seattle," Stern said. "We have received an application to have the team moved from Sacramento to Seattle."

The deadline for teams to file for relocation is March 1. It's been expected that the Hansen/Ballmer group would file to move the team, but Stern's comments marked the first time that decision had been verified. The filing for relocation is just another step, but big in the efforts to bring professional basketball back to Seattle for the 2013-14 season.

Hansen's group reached an agreement with the Maloof family last month to buy 65 percent of the franchise, which is valued at $525 million, and move the team to Seattle and restore the SuperSonics name. The deal will cost the Hansen group a little more than $340 million.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson has been trying to find investors with the financial means to match the sale price, keep the Kings in Sacramento and help on the construction of a new arena in California's capital city.

Johnson responded on Twitter on Wednesday night, saying again that Sacramento "is playing to win."