The city of Seattle will become the home of the 32nd NHL franchise, as our sister site Pro Hockey Rumors detailed earlier this week. However, a return to Seattle still doesn’t seem to be in the cards anytime soon for the NBA.
According to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, who spoke to multiple sources about Seattle, the league’s owners aren’t even considering the possibility of expansion at the moment. Most people expect it to be at least five to seven years before the NBA starts thinking seriously about expanding, according to Helin, who notes that it could be part of the next TV package discussions in 2025.
If Seattle has any chance to get any NBA team before then, it would likely have to be via relocation rather than expansion, Helin continues. Still, while there has been some speculation about the long-term viability of the Grizzlies and Pelicans in Memphis and New Orleans, respectively, no NBA franchises – including those two teams – appear to be in any imminent danger of leaving their current towns.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The next stop for former NBA big man Glen Davis may be the Canadian Maritimes. According to Robin Short of The Telegram (hat tip to Sportando), the St. John’s Edge of the National Basketball League of Canada have agreed to terms on a contract with Davis, who left his team in Croatia last month.
- In an interesting Insider-only article for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks takes a closer look at playing-time incentives for Mike Conley and Joel Embiid, who can fully lock in the guarantees later in their max contracts by reaching certain benchmarks in games or minutes played. Marks also explores the pressure Andrew Wiggins is under to live up to his max deal, the Kings‘ balancing act between winning and developing players, and more.
- The Pelicans, Rockets, Wizards, Heat, and Mavericks are the would-be contenders who most need to make a trade, in the view of Paolo Uggetti of The Ringer. Meanwhile, a handful of NBA.com writers weigh in on the teams most in need of a shake-up, and many of the same clubs are mentioned.
Who is running the Pelicans now? Has Portland been bought out now?
No word on when the Blazers will be up for sale, at the moment Vulcan still controls the franchise though they are expected to sell soon
It could take years. Same with the Seahawks. Paul Allen’s sister has control for now.
Utah, Memphis, Sacramento should relocate to Seattle, St. Louis, and Vegas
Clippers should relocate to Seattle. LA will always be known for the Lakers.
I think Louisville gets a team before St Louis or Las Vegas
Seattle has been an up and down basketball town, but what happened to them when the Sonics left was a crime. Seattle was never much of a hockey town in the past, but with burgeoning population now … maybe.
The NBA could easily go to 40 teams with matching money-made increases.
Then promotion/relegation could be added, providing way more excitement farther down the standings, but that’s getting ahead of the expansion debate.
When they do add two new teams they should add a team in Las Vegas or Vancouver and Seattle and keep both western conference teams. Then move Memphis into the eastern conference.
32 is the magic number
The 3 new cities to be considered should be Seattle, San Diego & San Juan