The NBA D-League announced its 2016/17 schedule this week, and once again, the league has officially expanded its list of teams. The NBA’s ultimate goal is to have each of its 30 franchises affiliated with a D-League squad, and the league inched closer to that goal this year.
Three additional NBA teams – the Nets, Hornets, and Bulls – now have expansion affiliates in the D-League, while two more teams – the Suns and Jazz – relocated their affiliates, ensuring that the distance between the NBA and D-League clubs has been reduced. Phoenix’s old D-League team, the Bakersfield Jam, is now located in Northern Arizona, while the Idaho Stampede, Utah’s old D-League affiliate, has moved to Salt Lake City.
Listed below, sorted alphabetically by NBA team, are the 22 NBA D-League affiliates for the 2016/17 season.
2016/17 D-League Affiliations:
Boston Celtics: Maine Red Claws
Brooklyn Nets: Long Island Nets (new)
Charlotte Hornets: Greensboro Swarm (new)
Chicago Bulls: Windy City Bulls (new)
Cleveland Cavaliers: Canton Charge
Dallas Mavericks: Texas Legends
Detroit Pistons: Grand Rapids Drive
Golden State Warriors: Santa Cruz Warriors
Houston Rockets: Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Indiana Pacers: Fort Wayne Mad Ants
Los Angeles Lakers: Los Angeles D-Fenders
Memphis Grizzlies: Iowa Energy
Miami Heat: Sioux Falls Skyforce
New York Knicks: Westchester Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder: Oklahoma City Blue
Orlando Magic: Erie BayHawks
Philadelphia 76ers: Delaware 87ers
Phoenix Suns: Northern Arizona Suns (relocated)
Sacramento Kings: Reno Bighorns
San Antonio Spurs: Austin Spurs
Toronto Raptors: Raptors 905
Utah Jazz: Salt Lake City Stars (relocated)
Listed below are the eight NBA teams still without a D-League affiliate. These eight clubs will get to assign players to D-League teams associated with other NBA franchises.
Teams without D-League affiliates:
Atlanta Hawks
Denver Nuggets
Los Angeles Clippers
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
Portland Trail Blazers
Washington Wizards