The Oilers' sale attracted interest in from several American cities, and as Nichols was assembling a group of local investors, an offer of US$85 million (C$120 million) came from Leslie Alexander, a Houston-based businessman and an owner of the National Basketball Association's Houston Rockets. Houston, whose application for an expansion team rejected by the league, was (and still is) the largest U.S. city without an NHL franchise. Alexander's original offer was to keep the team in Edmonton on the condition that the lease be terminated, attendance remained at acceptable levels, a local ownership group was eventually found and an expansion team be granted to Alexander in Houston. The Edmonton City Council rejected these terms, believing they gave Alexander too much discretion to move the Oilers to Texas. The city believed the lease they negotiated with Pocklington was still the best chance they had of keeping the team in Edmonton in the long term. Alexander then offered the ATB (which had the team in receivership by then) US$85 million (C$120 million) to purchase the team and move it to Houston, and submitted a US$5 million (C$7 million) deposit. Nichols was given until March 13, 1998 to match the deposit and commit to purchasing the team for US$70 million (C$100 million), or the lease would be automatically terminated and the team would move.