Is the NBA ready to move forward on its long-rumored plans to expand to Seattle and Las Vegas? Willie G. Ramirez of The Associated Press (Twitter link) says he has heard from multiple sources that the league wants to announce expansion when those two cities hosts preseason games this fall. The Clippers will play in Seattle on September 30 and October 3, while the Lakers are set to play in Vegas on October 5 and 6.
Despite Ramirez’s report, it’s still probably premature to get excited about an impending announcement. Rumors of possible expansion have simmered off and on for years, and the NBA has repeatedly shot them down, indicating that any plans to add more teams are on the back-burner. Still, it seems increasingly likely that expansion is coming sooner or later, with Seattle and Las Vegas atop the league’s list of potential destinations.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- As rumors about expansion resurface, Evan Sidery of BasketballNews.com considers what an expansion draft might look like if the NBA uses the same rules it did for its last expansion draft (the Bobcats in 2004). Of course, Sidery’s hypothetical expansion draft is based on teams’ current rosters, and any expansion team is unlikely to enter the league for a few years, but it’s still an interesting exercise that shows what kinds of players might go unprotected.
- Following the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell blockbuster trades, the Jazz have the strongest collection of future draft picks of any NBA team, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link), who ranks Utah’s draft assets slightly ahead of the Thunder‘s. The Spurs have the third-best stash of future picks, per Marks. The Pelicans, Rockets, Knicks, Magic, and Pacers round out his top eight, in that order.
- The G League Ignite have officially announced the additions of Australian prospect Mojave King and Canadian prospect Leonard Miller, confirming the signings today in a press release. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony previously reported that King and Miller would be joining the Ignite.
Love the basketball news hypothetical. You would have one bad team, and two really bad teams. Still love to see expansion in both Seattle and Vegas.
Vegas makes more sense than Seattle. Soon to be a 4 for 4 city.
We need to stop with all this Vegas push. They got to figure out a long term water solution. Too many teams too fast. Seattle is the obvious and deserved first choice. Mexico City/Vancouver would be a far better choice.
Okay not sure why it three posted but okay MLBTR
Putting a team back in Seattle would also make it a 4 team city.
Didn’t even know they got a Hockey team tbh.
That Hockey team will have to go…
Such a waste of resources in a desert…
Who is Willie G. Ramirez? Why should anyone care what he thinks?
There is a little problem with Mr Sidery’s list of protected & unprotected players because he has the Portland Blazers protecting Gary Payton II & he also has the Blazers not protecting Gary Payton II & unless the Blazers have 2 of Gary Sr’s sons named Gary Payton on the Roster there is no way that the Blazers can protect & not protect the 1 player
It is an absolute travesty that Seattle doesn’t have the Sonics anymore. Bring them back already. Right the wrong.
The league needs to contract 2 teams not add them.
The amount of current talent in the league begs to differ.
The league will never take less money…
Expansion to the point that a euro soccer relegation/promotion system has to be installed is the only way forwards…
More teams, more revenue opportunities…
A relegation system won’t ever happen. More risk for current owners. More pressure to spend money they can currently pocket. They will value their exclusive boys club over the possibility that some rogue upstart could kick in the clubhouse door.
So other than the up front cash, I don’t really see why the owners would wanna add more teams. The $$$ from any national TV deal isn’t going to increase because of 2 more teams but you’d be splitting that money with those 2 teams.
Potentially more money from fans from those cities. The TV deal is shared. The arena tickets I’m sure are shared between the two teams with a portion going back to the NBA. Confessions revenue, however, I’ve heard is 100% kept by the home team. Usually the team owner also owns the arena. Otherwise, might be a split. Anyone know?
@Benboy don’t quote me 100% on this but i think the confessions revenue has most of it going back to the home team but a portion also goes to the confession brands. (Ex: unsure about other arenas, but we have Pizza Hut in the mavs arena, so a cut would go to pizza hut). I don’t think any of the confessions go to the NBA, however ticket sales do.
That’s 2 more cities to sell to…
More money will come from the NBA TV deals as a result of the extra teams… As those TV companies also get those 2 extra markets to sell to…
The only thing that would be a hold up from current owners is the share of Luxory tax… Which early estimates from the next TV deal without expansion covers…
Why is Seattle always mentioned as an expansion spot?
If it was so viable why did they move the thunder to OKC?
I don’t mean this as a diss I’m genuinely curious, if it was that profitable of a market for the team why would they leave …
Feel like KC would be a good spot for a team
They were never the Thunder in Seattle. They were always the Supersonics or just Sonics until 2008.
They moved because the new owner couldn’t get public funding for a new arena, so he moved the team to OKC.
What makes it easy to bring another team there is the Settlement terms of a lawsuit between the city of Seattle and Clay Bennett’s ownership group that stipulated the SuperSonics’ banners, trophies, and retired jerseys remain in Seattle; the nickname, logo, and color scheme are available to any subsequent NBA team that plays at a renovated KeyArena subject to NBA approval. The SuperSonics’ franchise history, however, would be shared with the Thunder.
The amount of games shouldn’t change. They might add that mid-season tournament. Having more teams means more teams to trade with. More players in league and draft picks to acquire. The only downside, unless you’re the Jazz, is having your roster sniped by these new teams. You can only protect so many players in the expansion draft.
Vegas and Seattle wouldn’t be that far for the Jazz to travel to. Plus, one potentially good team would be moved to the Eastern Conference. I’m guessing either Memphis or Minnesota would be moved to the East.
Memphis AND Minnesota would go East if they add Seattle and LV
One team goes east… Instead of 17-15 it’ll be 16-16…
I hope miles travelled is the main reason they choose the team that goes east… The Wolves could do with a shift to the weaker Eastern conference…
The NBA need to be wise if they expand by 2 teams as it will give them 32 and will be the last expansion for a long time. Seattle is probably a lock as they were screwed by Sonics move. There are many other cities I cluing Vegas, KC, Nashville and Charlotte.
I much rather see another team In Canada. Definitely Seattle would be my first choice. Vegas can work too.
link to hoopshype.com
I’d much rather Vancouver or Mexico City over Vegas…
Mexico City is an altitude test, but Vegas is a desert… Phoenix is enough lol…
There already was a team in Vancouver. The Vancouver Grizzles. They were such a bad team with zero fan support, they moved to Memphis.
You won’t see a team in Vegas before 2030 if ever. They are reving a plan that among other things had an NBA suitable stadium shell build out in mind that was to be left open in such a way that if a team wanted to relocate Las Vegas they could design whatever they wanted and it would be on our dime.
Commissioner Stern turned his nose up at the idea. No way was a team going to be allowed to come and play in a legal sports wagering state.
That was at least 2 or 3 years before the first idea of the Raiders might come here.
Fast forward to Commisioner Silvers talk with the city back during summer leauge and your bottom line is that they could have had the place to themselves way back when.
They can not realistically break ground for a stadium at said site before 2025 earliest.
Said site is where Raider Stadium should be. Other than site having duel owners which complicated things, there was an even bigger fight for the stadium not to be built there.
The fact that they built Raider Stadium exactly 2 miles south in a straight parallel is extraordinary to me. Makes no sense.
Had they built said stadium at the site of the now closed Wild Wild West,I can promise one and all that they would have cleared what they had too and built the NBA set up at the same time.
T – Mobile is on the other side of the highway.
We would have all three up and running along with MLB that is now working on finding a site here.
There is no doubt in my mind that we would have a team signed and ready to move here if they build the football stadium on said site and would have had a team already playing here ahead of the Knights coming had Stern not turned his nose up on the deal.
It’s too late for an NBA team in Vegas. Any expansion or relocating will have happened by the time a build out is done.
We are destined to be an international/major college tournaments host at best.
The Jazz would of had the best picks if they sent Mitchell to the Knicks…
Instead they have a bunch of picks sitting in the 20s… High teens at best… Definitely no lottery picks… As both the Wolves and Cavs will be playoff teams year in year out with their young superstars still under contract…
As far as their own picks go they haven’t bottomed out as far as the Thunder…
So the Thunder have the best picks for the near and long term…
That was the problem. The Knicks didn’t seem to be willing to send their own picks. That supposed first offer smells too much like saving face than a real thing.
Regardless, I think it ended up working out. Sexton is already looking really good. Check out the 35 points he scored in the Miami Pro League. Obviously it’s not the NBA, but it shows he’s pretty much back in form. Just needs time to learn whatever system Coach Hardy introduces.