Rumor: NBA Expected to Announce Expansion Teams in Seattle and Las Vegas

[They_Them_Hatin]

Both Memphis and Minnesota could finally be moved to the east.

[Eagle4]

Seattle and Vegas make the most sense. Also, the league can finally send Minnesota to the East.

Eww no thank you, they can stay west.

[LofJ]

Both Memphis and Minnesota could finally be moved to the east.

If they did that there would be 15 Western conference teams and 17 Eastern conference teams.

[Overhere]

This thread's probably not helping to break any stereotypes about Americans and geography or math, 17 (15 + Seattle/Vegas) west teams and 15 east teams means 1 team goes east for an even conference split (which should definitely be Minnesota). Instead of Vegas I think it'd be nice to see both Seattle and Vancouver get teams back, but I'm sure there's probably market issues with that.

Now I'm curious if Memphis fans would care at all about keeping the "Grizzlies" name if Vancouver somehow managed to get a team, or if it's more of a New Orleans/Hornets type situation...

[wco81]

I think the last time the NBA expanded, the rosters were like 12 players?

No development league and there were fewer teams.

So if they only protect 8, that would hurt depth for potentially a few seasons if key development players are poached.

[NZB2323]

Both Memphis and Minnesota could finally be moved to the east.

No, only 1 can be moved. Then each conference would have 16 teams.

[Courtside]

Both Memphis and Minnesota could finally be moved to the east.

If they did that there would be 15 Western conference teams and 17 Eastern conference teams.

This is actually the more interesting question to me... which gets moved to the East.

Geographically Memphis is further east, but they're in closer travel distance to more teams in the WC than Minnesota is, while Minny is far closer to CHI and MIL and IND and DET. It solves the ridiculous travel disparity that they have to put up with, while MEM wouldn't be hurt at all if they were grouped with NO, OKC and the Texas teams.

[Chuck Everett]

Four divisions of eight teams.

Atlantic: Brooklyn, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Orlando, Miami, Charlotte
Central: Atlanta, Chicago, Toronto, Minnesota, Milwaukee, Indiana, Cleveland, Detroit
Midwest: New Orleans, Memphis, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Denver, Utah, Oklahoma City
Pacific: Seattle, Portland, Golden State, Sacramento, LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Las Vegas, Phoenix

And I know Raps fans will be pissed, but they are so close to the Central division teams that it doesn't make sense for them to not be in a division with them (like when they first entered the league). Not that it really matters, cause the schedule will still be balanced.

[harold lewis]

Memphis is also closer to Boston than San Antonio.

Memphis is 1,309 miles away from Boston and 726 miles away from San Antonio.

Minnesota is closer to Milwaukee/Chicago than Memphis is to Atlanta/Charlotte, and Minnesota is farther away from Portland than Memphis is from San Antonio.

Miami is farther away from Memphis than San Antonio is.

In the Boston fans defense the distance was only off by 600 miles or so.

Would be cool to see a reset on previously relocated teams. OKC move back to Seattle. Memphis move back to Vancouver. New Orleans move back to Charlotte. Then move the Bobcats to Vegas or another hot market. Keeps the league at 30.

[G R E Y]

Happy for both cities, especially for Seattle for obvious reasons. Vegas seems to be doing well with the NHL team so the blueprint is there. It will be fun to see more talent and interesting to see the realignment of the conferences. My first instinct was moving Minny east but forgot about Memphis.

Don't know why but Minny just feels like an East team and Grizz feels like a West team.

[wco81]

It's like another hour or two on a private jet. Once they're airborne, to go another 500 miles takes an hour.

The exhausting part of travel is back to backs or 4 games in 5 nights and leaving after midnight to fly to another city where they play again and they arrive in the next city sometimes almost in the morning.

But that's scheduling, whether certain venues are available on a given week so they may have to have back to backs and then the next game is 3 days out.

With more teams, that means more venues, so more variables to deal with. Wouldn't be surprised with more teams, the scheduling situation becomes even worse and maybe teams have to do an additional cross-country road trip than they do now.

[zimpy27]

Don’t need more teams

We aren't getting more teams. Cuban already spelled out what expansion actually is--nothing but a short-term loan to the existing franchises with a huge back end loss. New Markets can't generate 1/16th of the existing NBA revenue required just to break even. Not even close. So the existing governors aren't going to vote for this.

If Seattle and Vegas get teams it will be existing teams moving there. Adding franchises is a money losing proposition for the existing teams and they know it even if fans don't understand the franchise fees are quickly given back by the additional revenue split.

Well the addition of the new teams would be revenue-generating too. More games played total, expanding the market to other states. That impact has to be modeled in. It would only impact other owners if those new teams can't make more revenue than average.

Plus, they can ask the new teams to not be considered in revenue splitting for a certain period like 5 years.

[Courtside]

Don’t need more teams

We aren't getting more teams. Cuban already spelled out what expansion actually is--nothing but a short-term loan to the existing franchises with a huge back end loss. New Markets can't generate 1/16th of the existing NBA revenue required just to break even. Not even close. So the existing governors aren't going to vote for this.

If Seattle and Vegas get teams it will be existing teams moving there. Adding franchises is a money losing proposition for the existing teams and they know it even if fans don't understand the franchise fees are quickly given back by the additional revenue split.

Well the addition of the new teams would be revenue-generating too. More games played total, expanding the market to other states. That impact has to be modeled in. It would only impact other owners if those new teams can't make more revenue than average.

Plus, they can ask the new teams to not be considered in revenue splitting for a certain period like 5 years.

Teams can basically break even just on the TV contracts nowadays, with ticket sales as a more minor piece of the pie. 32 teams means more games and more eyeballs and more advertising money, which leverages the TV deals.

Something tells me Cuban said that well before the last round of TV deal negotiations?

[zimpy27]

Prediction:
- LeBron and his son will be going to the Vegas team in 2024.
- LeBron will have an ownership share of the Vegas franchise and this is his route to being a franchise owner.

[LAL1947]

If they have 4 divisions of 8 teams... this makes sense geographically.

East 1: Atlanta, Boston, Brooklyn, Charlotte, Miami, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia
East 2: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Toronto, Washington

West 1: Clippers, Lakers, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, Seattle, Warriors, Vegas
West 2: Dallas, Denver, Houston, Memphis, NOLA, OKC, San Antonio, Utah

Anyone wanna take a stab at naming these divisions?

I would move Utah to West 2 and Phoenix to West 1.

I think the divisions would be named Atlantic, Central, Southwest, and Pacific.

Oops! I meant to put Utah and Phoenix where you have them. Edited my post to change that.

Names fit too.

If each team plays each other once home and away, and then all teams play their conference rivals an extra time (with the home teams in this extra game alternating every season)... that gives 77 games total, hopefully close enough to 82 games that owners agree. I've always felt this is fairer than the current 82-game format with some series being 4 games and others only 2 games.

Guess if they really wanted to, they could continue with the current format and have 84 games.

[Infinite Llamas]

Memphis is also closer to Boston than San Antonio.

Geographically, if the league wants to do east/west, there is no debate that Memphis is closer to East teams in terms of the map.

Memphis is 1,309 miles away from Boston and 726 miles away from San Antonio.

Minnesota is closer to Milwaukee/Chicago than Memphis is to Atlanta/Charlotte, and Minnesota is farther away from Portland than Memphis is from San Antonio.

This map might help...

Ok but if Vegas and Seattle get added in, which other team goes to the east? You need 16 teams in each conference. It literally has to be Memphis based on the map, no?

[LAL1947]

Ok but if Vegas and Seattle get added in, which other team goes to the east? You need 16 teams in each conference. It literally has to be Memphis based on the map, no?

Minnesota. See map, they're on the right of the red line I drew in. Memphis may be the furthest east by a little, but Minny just makes so much more sense geographically.

[Ray Donovan]

"
Well the addition of the new teams would be revenue-generating too. More games played total, expanding the market to other states. That impact has to be modeled in. It would only impact other owners if those new teams can't make more revenue than average.

Plus, they can ask the new teams to not be considered in revenue splitting for a certain period like2,3/5 years.[/quote]"......this holding back on the revenue splitting is interesting idea & should be studied to see what overall help/hurt to existing teams that would make up for some of this But I'm open to ideas that expand the NBA by a 2 teams for sure(Seattle & Vegas), maybe 2 two more out of StLouis, Louisville, KansasCity & Tampa Bay, & San,Diego & Mexico City.2 New Franchises in 2023 for sure & maybe 2 more in 2026

[NyKnicks1714]

Ok but if Vegas and Seattle get added in, which other team goes to the east? You need 16 teams in each conference. It literally has to be Memphis based on the map, no?

Minnesota. See map, they're on the right of the red line I drew in. Memphis may be the furthest east by a little, but Minny just makes so much more sense geographically.

Average distance between Memphis and every Eastern Conference city: 712 miles
Average distance between Minneapolis and every Eastern Conference city: 873 miles

(Counting NYC twice of course)

[HangTime]

I wish it was Seattle and Vancouver

I know it'd be tough be tough to have expansion teams in the same division, but you could have seperated for the first few years.

Portland instantly gets 2 teams close to them.

Minnesota can get out of the Western conference.