Residents of Chinatown vowed to fight the downtown proposal, expected to take shape by the team’s 2031 lease expiration in South Philly.

After a protracted negotiation with the city of Philadelphia that involved a proposed move across the Delaware River to New Jersey, the Sixers agreed on a deal to build a new arena in Center City, on the edge of the city's historic Chinatown. The Sixers' lease at the Wells Fargo Center expires in 2031, and the team had vowed not to renew it.