[Krawczynski]: Timberwolves To Be Sold

[HartfordWhalers]

I think the idea of a league team with a 100million payroll due to relegation would be wild. Paul Reed could use the competition.

[Stillwater]

Kind of surprised they are not moving the team tbh.

[Wolveswin]

I know relegation happens successfully in other sports (or so Ted Lasso tells me) but it seems wild to think about implementing it in the NBA. This is probably an indictment of big sports more than anything else, but what happens to the arena, employees, etc?

The teams don’t move away or dry up. They just aren’t in NBA anymore. They have to play their way back in — just the way they played their way out
(but in reverse).

Same arenas still have games.

[andyhop]

Kind of surprised they are not moving the team tbh.

Its about the only consistent thing that Taylor has kept to throughout the never ending sale process he has been running on and off for years.

[queridiculo]

Doubt the NBA does another expansion team anytime soon. On paper, Seattle is the city to move to if the focus is on the money.

Cuban had a great take on this that I had never really though about. He said adding expansion teams is basically just a loan for the existing owners. That new teams don't typically add revenue to the overall pot in most cases, but take 3% of the revenue out. So while the teams get that nice initial capital influx, there is no value add for them.

So he's not opposed to expansion if it makes sense, but he doesn't see it as a boon to the league and I definitely think he would favor moving a struggling team versus adding a new one. And I would agree in principle with that, but obviously it really sucks for the market who would lose their team in that scenario.


But I don't think the Wolves are moving as part of this regardless of what Taylor wants. It's a good market and the NBA wouldn't want to lose it. And if you could be the group that wins there? You would own that town.

They don't really take 3% of the revenue since they bring revenue with them in form a attendance in games, 40 home games*12.5K is half a million tickets added to the pool.

Gate receipts are irrelevant in the big scheme of things.

[queridiculo]

I know relegation happens successfully in other sports (or so Ted Lasso tells me) but it seems wild to think about implementing it in the NBA. This is probably an indictment of big sports more than anything else, but what happens to the arena, employees, etc?

You really have to invest some time into why and how relegation exists and then you will understand why it isn't feasible given the US pro sports franchise structure.

[kobe_vs_jordan]

Think regulation only works when you have too many quality teams. college sports could make it work.

[andyhop]

Think regulation only works when you have too many quality teams. college sports could make it work.

It also only tends to work if you put it in place before existing owners who have the votes to make it happen have Billions of dollars at risk