Sources: NBA Expansion Looming With Two New Franchises
Expansion is on the agenda with two new franchises in the works for the NBA, and plans are moving forward.
Co-authored by Adam Joseph and Keith P. Smith
With the new Collective Bargaining Agreement complete, the next order of business for the NBA to continue capitalizing on the remarkable growth of the game is expansion. And it is coming on the horizon sooner than many think.
Sources have told 16 Wins a Ring that expansion is being talked about more seriously at this point than at any other time recently. The league’s first priority was to complete the CBA, but with the game in such a healthy place monetarily, and the talent level higher than it ever has been, expansion is now the focus of the league office.
The earliest the league would expand is for the 2018–19 season, but that 2019–20 is more likely according to sources.
It has even been hinted that the new CBA rules around making it more lucrative for free agents to remain with their current teams could help expansion teams hold on to talent and be competitive quicker than ever.
The front running cities in talks are Seattle and Mexico City, with Louisville still very much in the picture. The former NBA city of Seattle has always been on the NBA’s radar, with Adam Silver determined to fix the error of letting the city lose its franchise.
League sources say Silver has said privately that Seattle is a lock for one of the spots, unless the city itself can’t sort its arena issues. Silver has been frustrated by Seattle Mayor Ed Murray’s ducking of his calls and meeting requests.
A source divulged that Adam Silver and the league have attempted to contact the city of Seattle on multiple occasions with no call backs. The league has wanted to help push their arena efforts forward, but the city has seemingly not appeared fully invested. In the one face-to-face meeting that Seattle Mayor Ed Murray had with Adam Silver (two years ago), he was surprisingly unprepared for the basic questions that the league had asked him to prepare for and was more interested in talking about the NHL. Until recently, the city has appeared apprehensive to the league’s approaches.
Mexico City’s bid to bring a franchise south of the border has gained momentum in recent years, especially following two strong outings in games just this week with sellout crowds in attendance. Adam Silver spent time with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and business magnate Carlos Slim this past weekend. Slim is a big part of the group behind the Mexico City push and fronts their consortium.
The other cities mentioned prominently have been Louisville, Las Vegas and Vancouver, though only Louisville is considered a serious contender as it stands right now. They have a meeting with the league on Tuesday and still have a foothold in proceedings.
The league would ideally like to bring two franchises in that could take up residence in the Western Conference, with the Memphis Grizzlies moving to the Eastern Conference. How this would impact divisions and schedule remains to be seen, but there is growing talk of having two 16 team conferences with no divisions.
Below is a list of pros and cons for each of the prospective cities. They are ranked in order of most likely to least likely with Seattle and Mexico City the aforementioned front runners.
Seattle
Pros: This should be easy… as was aforementioned they never should have lost their team in the first place. The Sonics are still beloved in Seattle and they haven’t existed for years. Everyone in the league from the players to owners to the NBA main office wants to see a team back in Seattle, and Silver himself is the driving force in having the city at the front of the queue. The league will reportedly be in town this week for serious talks in finalizing details and clarification on the arena situation.
Cons: They still have to figure out the arena situation as the current option is the same outdated facility that the former franchise left in the first place. The good news is that seems closer than ever before, as things have really progressed on that front. The deal is essentially in Seattle’s hands if the city doesn’t lose the deal by becoming complacent and not sorting their arena situation. It is Seattle’s to lose.
Mexico City
Pros: The NBA is experiencing huge growth in Mexico. The two games held there this year were a resounding success. The NBA remains interested in expanding the game and continuing to grow internationally, and this presents fewer challenges with travel logistics than anything overseas. Also, the presumed ownership group has deep pockets, headed by business magnate Carlos Slim, who is one of the richest men in the world. His net worth is estimated at $48.4 billion.
Cons: Is this the right international play, especially when others exist down the line? Can basketball compete with soccer, once the soccer season is in full swing? And would American players, who will make up most of the roster, want to live in Mexico? All of those are questions that must be answered, but none are overwhelming.
Louisville
Pros: They have an NBA-ready arena. While other NBA options are close by, there aren’t any in the state of Kentucky, which is mad for basketball. Travel would be easy, as they are centrally located to the rest of the league.
Cons: They would undoubtedly have to be placed in the Eastern Conference and the league is already more East-centric than the league would like. Louisville has always been a college town and there are fears that the NBA could struggle to gain a strong enough foothold.
Las Vegas
Pros: The NBA already has a relationship with Las Vegas, holding their annual Summer League there. There is a new arena being built for the new NHL expansion team, which presumably could house an NBA team as well, similar to other league setups. Many players also live in Las Vegas for a portion of the year in the offseason.
Cons: There is still a gambling issue associated with Vegas that must be solved and still makes many uneasy. The NHL got there first, the NFL is knocking on the door, and the NBA does not want to be third in line out of the gate. Are there enough non-tourist/year round residents to build a thriving and constant fan base?
Vancouver
Pros: Former home of the Grizzlies. Major city on the west coast of Canada which would help form a strong Northwest presence (with Seattle and Portland) for the league. They have an NBA-ready arena and similarly to Seattle they have fans who still love basketball after their team left town. Most importantly, the NBA would like to prove that they can make it work in Vancouver if given another chance.
Cons: Any NBA team has to compete with the Canucks in hockey-mad Canada. That is considered to be almost a lock to be a losing proposition. Vancouver isn’t quite as cosmopolitan or international as Toronto, so drawing in NBA fans is seen as a difficult task in an already difficult climate.
Co-authored by Keith P. Smith & Adam Joseph.
