The Magic officially announced today that they have an agreement in place to purchase their D-League affiliate, moving it from Erie, Pennsylvania to Lakeland, Florida. However, the ownership group for the Erie BayHawks won’t be a part of that move, and is hoping to find another NBA team to partner with for the 2017/18 season.
“We are optimistic as conversations with new potential NBA partners are happening and will know more in the near future,” Bayhawks owner Owen McCormick and team president Matt Bresee said in a statement issued today. “With respect to the process that the NBA is conducting, we are not at liberty to discuss any specifics at this time.
“We believe Erie has a great combination of resources that make it an attractive destination for another NBA team to place a Development League team here. The recently renovated Erie Insurance Arena, our long-standing partnership with LECOM and numerous other corporate partners, and a solid base of season ticket members and fans, have all helped contribute to Erie’s nine years of off-the-court success in the D-League. Our hope is that next season we can continue to deliver the family fun and entertainment that’s become synonymous with the BayHawks.”
Originally affiliated with the Sixers and Cavaliers, the BayHawks have been affiliated with the Magic for the last three seasons. If the team hopes to remain in the league for 2017/18, it will either have to reach an agreement with one of the eight NBA teams without a D-League affiliate, or convince another team to relocate its affiliate or change its affiliation.
Of the eight NBA clubs without an affiliated NBADL squad, the Wizards are located the closest to Erie, but it’s not exactly a quick commute — the distance between the Verizon Center and the Erie Insurance Arena is about 370 miles.
With more and more NBA teams choosing to keep their D-League affiliate as close as possible to allow for frequent assignments and recalls, Erie may face a challenge as it looks for a new partner. As Chris Reichert of The Step Back notes (via Twitter), Bakersfield had the same stance last year after the Suns bought and relocated their D-League affiliate. That group ended up not finding a taker, resulting in no Bakersfield Jam franchise this season.