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

[Cactus Jack]

A team President tells Portland guy that if Blazers are sold and moved, it won't be to Seattle because it is "earmarked" for expansion.

So... if expansion (earmark) falls through, is said President suggesting the Blazers may end up in Seattle in the long run?

No. The Blazers aren't moving.

[Dick Tate]

A team President tells Portland guy that if Blazers are sold and moved, it won't be to Seattle because it is "earmarked" for expansion.

So... if expansion (earmark) falls through, is said President suggesting the Blazers may end up in Seattle in the long run?

No. The Blazers aren't moving.

So what was the point of his mentioning the Blazers possibly moving in the clip you posted?

[Cactus Jack]

A team President tells Portland guy that if Blazers are sold and moved, it won't be to Seattle because it is "earmarked" for expansion.

So... if expansion (earmark) falls through, is said President suggesting the Blazers may end up in Seattle in the long run?

No. The Blazers aren't moving.

So what was the point of his mentioning the Blazers moving in the clip you posted?

He was asked about the potential sale of the Blazers. Then follows up with saying the Blazers won't be moved.

Essentially that relocation is not an option. Not when the league can make upwards of $6-7B in expansion fees alone. That money is distributed among the owners.

A sitting team president of an NBA franchise told me it’s unlikely that the league’s owners would allow the Trail Blazers to relocate to Seattle after a potential sale. “That’s a no-go,” he said. The prevailing sentiment is that Seattle and Las Vegas have already been unofficially earmarked for NBA expansion and the current owners would prefer to avoid cannibalizing what would be a windfall of $6 billion in combined expansion fees.

[Dick Tate]

Hey, i'm just going off the clip you posted.
"Seattle would be off the table..."
Did not say all cities off the table.

[Cactus Jack]

Hey, i'm just going off the clip you posted.
"Seattle would be off the table..."
Did not say all cities off the table.

Here's a more detailed tweet & article on the potential sale of both the Blazers & Seahawks. Which is coming down the pipeline.

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[LakerLegend]

Move the Pelicans to Vancouver or Kansas City.

[TeamTragic]

A team President tells Portland guy that if Blazers are sold and moved, it won't be to Seattle because it is "earmarked" for expansion.

So... if expansion (earmark) falls through, is said President suggesting the Blazers may end up in Seattle in the long run?

No. The Blazers aren't moving.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/267106/Blazers-Expected-To-Be-Sold-Within-6-18-Months

Blazers could be moved. Depending on what happens with Sarver maybe we see Iger doing the same.

[KingFox]

Good. I don't like the Thunder having all of the Supersonic accomplishments in their vault. It's weird

[Blame Rasho]

I want a team in Boise Idaho lol

[Clemenza]

What if a team/owner pulls a "Donald Sterling" and just moves the team on his own to Vegas or Seattle without consent from the league and owners?

[Cactus Jack]

What if a team/owner pulls a "Donald Sterling" and just moves the team on his own to Vegas or Seattle without consent from the league and owners?

Big Al Davis fan, I see.

[SNPA]

Expansion is about money. Owners want to recoup COVID losses. This means new teams will -all things being roughly equal both immediate and long term- go to the highest bidders.

Seattle and Vegas have no inside track. This isn’t a fan sentimentality decision. It’s about billionaires making money. I’m a Kings fan that lived through the relocation dramas, you should listen..this is solely about money.

They don’t care about the Sonics.

They don’t care about Las Vegas.

Money. They care about money.

[Pennebaker]

Expansion is about money. Owners want to recoup COVID losses. This means new teams will -all things being roughly equal both immediate and long term- go to the highest bidders.

Seattle and Vegas have no inside track. This isn’t a fan sentimentality decision. It’s about billionaires making money. I’m a Kings fan that lived through the relocation dramas, you should listen..this is solely about money.

They don’t care about the Sonics.

They don’t care about Las Vegas.

Money. They care about money.

Common knowledge. What's your point again?

[SNPA]

Expansion is about money. Owners want to recoup COVID losses. This means new teams will -all things being roughly equal both immediate and long term- go to the highest bidders.

Seattle and Vegas have no inside track. This isn’t a fan sentimentality decision. It’s about billionaires making money. I’m a Kings fan that lived through the relocation dramas, you should listen..this is solely about money.

They don’t care about the Sonics.

They don’t care about Las Vegas.

Money. They care about money.

Common knowledge. What's your point again?

Maybe you’ve missed the countless threads about Seattle getting its team back. Or any number of posts in this thread or the assumption of the Twitter post in the OP. There’s a lot of fan thinking going on around this subject, owners don’t think that way.

[God Squad]

Good. I don't like the Thunder having all of the Supersonic accomplishments in their vault. It's weird

Preach.

[Moonbeam]

Doesn't the league have to go through some process in which they announce expansion is on the table and invite proposals for the Board of Governors to then vote on? It seems weird that the league would just unilaterally say "We're expanding to Seattle and Las Vegas" and be done with it. I know there is an active movement for Louisville to pursue an expansion team, and there may be some other cities like Kansas City, Vancouver, Tampa, or Virginia Beach to put a case forward, too. The league may still go with Seattle and Las Vegas, but at least an open process is what I think needs to happen, no?

[nomansland]

Expansion is about money. Owners want to recoup COVID losses. This means new teams will -all things being roughly equal both immediate and long term- go to the highest bidders.

Seattle and Vegas have no inside track. This isn’t a fan sentimentality decision. It’s about billionaires making money. I’m a Kings fan that lived through the relocation dramas, you should listen..this is solely about money.

They don’t care about the Sonics.

They don’t care about Las Vegas.

Money. They care about money.

It's true they don't care about the Sonics or fans in Seattle.

But there is *a lot* of money in Seattle. That + any emotional attachment and good PR for the league makes it an attractive destination.

[Cactus Jack]

Doesn't the league have to go through some process in which they announce expansion is on the table and invite proposals for the Board of Governors to then vote on? It seems weird that the league would just unilaterally say "We're expanding to Seattle and Las Vegas" and be done with it. I know there is an active movement for Louisville to pursue an expansion team, and there may be some other cities like Kansas City, Vancouver, Tampa, or Virginia Beach to put a case forward, too. The league may still go with Seattle and Las Vegas, but at least an open process is what I think needs to happen, no?

From what I can gather cities & ownership groups submit proposals. The league then decides on whether to accept each proposal.

I know that when the NHL had announced plans for expansion several years ago that Vegas & Quebec City submitted one. The league chose Vegas. Then the Seattle group came forward a couple of years later.

[ISB]

the team will be at climate pledge arena...they already built out the nba offices/locker rooms for it.

How good were the renovations at that place? I know at one point the NBA considered that arena unsalvageable.

The team will play at Seattle Center. The new arena is called "Climate Pledge Arena".

Isn't that just the rennovated Key Arena where the sonics played though?..

[Pelon chingon]

So basically Portland, N.O and Memphis are the likely relocation candidates. Best of luck to all of em I know what it feels like to have to fight for your franchise to stay.