NBA Expansion

[DoItALL9]

2026-27? So two years from now?

Read on Twitter

The whole interview with Chris Daniels.
https://www.iheart.com/content/2024-07-11-59-softy-dick-interviews-chris-daniels-on-new-nba-media-deal-and-expansion-/

Just a bit of a summary of what Daniels said.
- he expects the nba to form an expansion committee between August - October this year
- he expects a quick decision(like they did with Charlotte 20 years ago) and think it will be announced around December
- he says the team will be named the Supersonics and get all their records etc. back but will have to make a deal with Bennett for that
- he expects the team to start playing during the 2026-27 season

Let's hope he's right and we have some exiting times ahead after 16 years of this crap....

Thanks for the summary

I understand they won't want to rush things but 2025-2026 should be on the table.

Why not?

Because that would be way too close time wise.
The earliest you can expect a decision will be the end of the year and there's no way they welcome teams in six months after that giving the other 30 teams next to no chance to prepare(roster wise etc.) for an expansion draft.

BTW: Silver held a press conference yesterday and talked about holding talks exploring expansion this fall.
This would fall into the time table Daniels gave when he said they'll form a committee between August - October.

I'm totally with you and expect it to play out just as you've said and Silver would answer just as you did if asked in person but realistically expansion has been looming heavily for the last 12-18 months.
Potential buyers are already putting together their packages and getting ducks in a row. No one is truly ignorant and ill-prepared unless they put themselves in that situation willingly. Potential team owners, other team owners, other GMs, etc. all know.

[Det the Threat]

I'm totally with you and expect it to play out just as you've said and Silver would answer just as you did if asked in person but realistically expansion has been looming heavily for the last 12-18 months.
Potential buyers are already putting together their packages and getting ducks in a row. No one is truly ignorant and ill-prepared unless they put themselves in that situation willingly. Potential team owners, other team owners, other GMs, etc. all know.

Yeah, everyone knows.

That's why you have Silver talking so openly about it even though the average person might think he's not.

I think he's basically got his ducks in a row in order to get expansion over the line but given the technicalities needs to talk about a committee, talking about it etc. when speaking publicly.

Seattle and Vegas being added has been talked about for about a year or more and all the other cities mentioned are basically just random names in order to make it look like a bidding process, which it has to be according to the NBA expansion rules.

BTW: According to Chris Daniels the current Seattle Kraken ownership group(that will lead the way) has had talks with interested parties every week(for some time now) about joining them in order to make the financial side happen.
I mean, at the end of the day we'll be looking at an expansion fee of around $4 - $5 billion for that expansion team.

[Det the Threat]

Buckle up guys and gals, this summer and fall will be very interesting and probably entertaining.

There's already a bidding war for the Vegas expansion teamled by Lebron James.

In Seattle things are also happening and talks are being held to increase the current Kraken ownership group in order to make the fiancial side work.

[Det the Threat]

From the wiretap.

Owners of NHL's Kraken considered "heavy favourites" to be awarded Seattle's NBA franchise.

Yep.
It looks like an interesting summer and rest of the year with quite some news about an NBA return to Seattle.

[DoItALL9]

From the wiretap.

Owners of NHL's Kraken considered "heavy favourites" to be awarded Seattle's NBA franchise.

Yep.
It looks like an interesting summer and rest of the year with quite some news about an NBA return to Seattle.

Even heavy favorites is an understatement.
They have the arena and the NBA connections.
No one else can get in there now (in Seattle) and that's been official since they put the kabosh on Hansen.

Leiweke putting things in order is just circling back to conversations he's had with individuals and groups for a decade or more. This isn't his first rodeo.

My thought:
Don't make Seattle wait for Las Vegas' bidding war, etc.
They don't absolutely have to come in the same year.


Get this done


Honestly, the only thing stopping Seattle from being selected as an exclamation city would be a billionaire (group) saying they'll pay the NBA $10B to put a team in 'select a random' city.
It's not happening.

[typedrat]

Where would you put the G League team? Maybe I'm biased because it's where I grew up, but I kind of like the idea of it going up in Bellingham, just because it'd be the only game in town, but I think the more realistic option would be either Spokane if they want to spread out across the state or somewhere still in the Seattle metro like Belleville.

The Belleville Boom actually sounds like a good name, now that I think of it....

[Dick Tate]

Hoops (to jump through):

On Oct. 11, the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers will play a preseason game at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, one of a series of games there in recent years. Silver said the game will help assess if Climate Pledge Arena is NBA-ready for a team.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/adam-silver-says-league-owners-not-quite-ready-to-discuss-expansion

[DoItALL9]

Where would you put the G League team? Maybe I'm biased because it's where I grew up, but I kind of like the idea of it going up in Bellingham, just because it'd be the only game in town, but I think the more realistic option would be either Spokane if they want to spread out across the state or somewhere still in the Seattle metro like Belleville.

The Belleville Boom actually sounds like a good name, now that I think of it....

There's a thread discussing this issue below.

[DoItALL9]

Hoops (to jump through):

On Oct. 11, the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers will play a preseason game at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, one of a series of games there in recent years. Silver said the game will help assess if Climate Pledge Arena is NBA-ready for a team.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/adam-silver-says-league-owners-not-quite-ready-to-discuss-expansion

Hoops...aka BS

The league is after money, unsurprisingly.
Adam Silver is delaying as the frontman for the owners.
They want to see the Celtics and Timberwolves sell for as much as possible (rightfully) and they want to use that to jack up the numbers on the two expansion franchises. If they can, they'll push the fees to $10B each.

Also, the owners are constantly looking internationally. They know that the market is basically tapped here. (The WNBA becoming a bigger thing is good for who exactly? How many entertainment dollars are there?)
I think if they could go to Paris and London right now they would tell Seattle and Las Vegas, thanks but no thanks in a heartbeat.

The media companies seem to be the only ones who'll make Seattle happen relatively quickly and I don't know if they have enough incentive currently.

[Det the Threat]

Hoops (to jump through):

On Oct. 11, the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers will play a preseason game at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, one of a series of games there in recent years. Silver said the game will help assess if Climate Pledge Arena is NBA-ready for a team.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/adam-silver-says-league-owners-not-quite-ready-to-discuss-expansion

That's a load of BS.

The arena has been build especially with the NBA in mind and Silver knows every step of it with Leweike involved.
Also, they've played NBA preseason games in there before and know by now if there was any question if the arena is "ready for a team".

Overall it's just some natinal media stuff of folks that don't really know about the expansion process and what happened behind the scenes in Seattle.

Also, the league seems to be eying the 2027-28 season for expansion teams to start playing.
https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/277278/NBA-Targeting-27-28-Season-For-Expansion-Teams-To-Begin-Playing

[Cactus Jack]

Read on Twitter

[Det the Threat]

Seattle civc,business groups awaiting NBA announcement after Rain City Showcase

NBA expansion FAQ from ESPN

Continued Sonics chatter dominates NBA's preseason return to Seattle

Rain City Showcase gives Seattle fans hope for NBA return

Seattle sends statement to NBA. We're a basketball city

[Det the Threat]

Tracking Adam Silver’s Agenda for Next Term as NBA Commissioner

Item 1: NBA Expansion

With the CBA and the broadcast deals wrapped up, the possibility of the league adding teams for the first time in 20 years moves to the front burner. While it’s believed that the NBA will add two cities—with Seattle and Las Vegas as the front-runners—Silver cautions that any expansion talks are preliminary. While admitting two new teams could generate up to $10 billion in franchise fees, there are also concerns.

Silver’s take: “It’s one of the reasons why expansion isn’t as obvious as some people might think. There is a point of view that I often encounter that expansion is printing money. It’s not. First of all, you’re in essence selling equity in the league. To the extent you have new national television deals, you now have two new partners, so you’re dividing up the money by two additional ways. There’s also a dilution of talent. It’s one of the reasons we haven’t expanded anytime recently, because we’ve been working towards creating a more competitive league.”

[Det the Threat]

Something different:
Paolo Banchero: 'Seattle is pound-for-pound the best basketball factory in the country'

Watch on YouTube

[Det the Threat]

Adam Silver: NBA Would Love Franchise In Mexico City, But It's Many Years Off

So Mexico City is not an option(at this point), no matter how often some peopel and journalists are bringing it up.

It's going to be Seattle and Vegas and hopefully the league is able to resolve those final current topics(Celtics sale, legal battle against Turner for TV rights) in order to start the expansion process and announce expansion.

[Det the Threat]

Will NBA expansion bring the SuperSonics back to Seattle? ‘There’s just too much karma’ (Behind paywall on Athletic)

[Det the Threat]

ESPN has secured "Inside the NBA" which should mean the tv rights deal appeal by TNT should basically be done.

Now the last step before the expansion process seems to be the sale of the Celtics.
Of course only unless there's something else the NBA wants to do in order to drag out the process more....

[DoItALL9]

Has the possibility of bringing in the expansion teams in separate seasons been mentioned by Adam Silver?

Sent from my SM-A156U using RealGM mobile app

[Det the Threat]

Has the possibility of bringing in the expansion teams in separate seasons been mentioned by Adam Silver?

Sent from my SM-A156U using RealGM mobile app

I don't think the league will do that.

You would need two expansion drafts and you probably can't expect teams losing two players within a year or two.
I also doubt they'll grant one team "first dibs" and then give the "leftovers"(teams that didn't lose a player in the first expansion draft) for the other one.

I think they'll bring in two teams and hold an expansin draft were both teams can draft 15 guys which would mean 30 guys(one for each team) will be taken with the new teams alternating picks.

BTW: New franchise evaluation is out.

The everage value is $4.6 billion per franchise.
Fits very well with the speculated $4 - $5 billion expansinn fee.

NBA expansion expected to land in these two cities: "Foregone conclusion".

Seattle & Vegas will get expansion team before Mexico City

Billionaires and Ballplayers angle for New Crop of NBA teams.

[Det the Threat]

Gary Payton teases he'll have a big role in Seattle expansion franchise.