NBA Expansion

[Nuntius]

I'm not talking about just the coast, I'm talking about the conference as a whole.

Look at the divisions (specifically the orange) and try to argue that it makes geographic sense.

It would be interesting to see how these dominoes fall. Seattle and Vancouver would naturally go to the Northwest division (the orange) which would open the way to the divisions making more geographical sense. Minny and Memphis would move to the East (Central for Minny, Southeast for Memphis) and OKC would probably move to the Southwest.

Only one team would move from West to East (and it would be Minnesota)

Northwest: Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento
Pacific: Golden State, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Phoenix
Southwest: New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio
Midwest: Utah, Denver, Oklahoma City, Memphis

Atlantic: Brooklyn, New York, Boston, Philadelphia
Northeast: Detroit, Toronto, Cleveland, Washington
Southeast: Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Orlando
Central: Minnesota, Milwaukee, Chicago, Indiana

Ah, yeah, you're right. Only one team would have to be honest and, of course, that would be Minny since it's so close to the Eastern teams.

I can't say that I can see Sacramento leaving the Pacific Conference (I believe the NBA likes having all the California teams in the same conference) but it's not out of the question. Also, I'd definitely choose a different name for the Utah/Denver/OKC/Memphis conference that you're proposing. You can't have a conference named Midwest that doesn't have any teams from the actual Midwest, imo.

[LakerLegend]

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/14/kansas-city-needs-a-billionaire-to-get-an-nba-team-or-itll-go-to-las-vegas.html

[kombayn]

Mark Davis just bought the WNBA Aces team. I think it's a lock for Seattle & Vegas to get NBA teams. The money is there for both places. MLB will eventually expand too (Montreal, Nashville & Portland have active groups). It'll be interesting what happens with the Minnesota Timberwolves, they have a popular team in the WNBA Lynx but it looks like there is no local ownership interested besides Kevin Garnett's group.

[LakerLegend]

Mark Davis just bought the WNBA Aces team. I think it's a lock for Seattle & Vegas to get NBA teams. The money is there for both places. MLB will eventually expand too (Montreal, Nashville & Portland have active groups). It'll be interesting what happens with the Minnesota Timberwolves, they have a popular team in the WNBA Lynx but it looks like there is no local ownership interested besides Kevin Garnett's group.

Davis doesn’t have the money to buy an nba team.

[kombayn]

Mark Davis just bought the WNBA Aces team. I think it's a lock for Seattle & Vegas to get NBA teams. The money is there for both places. MLB will eventually expand too (Montreal, Nashville & Portland have active groups). It'll be interesting what happens with the Minnesota Timberwolves, they have a popular team in the WNBA Lynx but it looks like there is no local ownership interested besides Kevin Garnett's group.

Davis doesn’t have the money to buy an nba team.

I didn't say that but he bought the WNBA team. You can easily get a group of owners for a Vegas team and T-Mobile Arena is NBA ready. It'll be Seattle & Vegas for sure. I'm sure both would pay $2 billion for each team.

[Memories]

I think it's inevitable for the NBA to get a Las Vegas team. Not just because of the WNBA, but the success of NFL and NHL teams, and how the NBA has flirted with it in the past, its only a matter of time.

Sadly, the WNBA took the absolute best name for a Las Vegas team (Aces), but they could go with my favorite expansion team name, the Las Vegas Outlaws.

[JayMKE]

Las Vegas is a small market dependent on service industry, I don’t think they’re way more attractive as a market than a lot of places just a little more glamorous. Entertainment dollar is stretched to the Max already in Vegas.

[MarcusBrody]

I think it's inevitable for the NBA to get a Las Vegas team. Not just because of the WNBA, but the success of NFL and NHL teams, and how the NBA has flirted with it in the past, its only a matter of time.

Sadly, the WNBA took the absolute best name for a Las Vegas team (Aces), but they could go with my favorite expansion team name, the Las Vegas Outlaws.

I've also thought that it was too bad that the WNBA got the most natural team name. The Outlaws seems like a good possibility though.

Other possible locally related names:
Scorpions (it's Nevada State's mascot, but they might not whine about sharing though if it brought them more attention.)
Gamblers (let's just go all in)
High Rollers (a bit less)
Neon (We see your City Unis, Heat, and raise you)

[Memories]

I think it's inevitable for the NBA to get a Las Vegas team. Not just because of the WNBA, but the success of NFL and NHL teams, and how the NBA has flirted with it in the past, its only a matter of time.

Sadly, the WNBA took the absolute best name for a Las Vegas team (Aces), but they could go with my favorite expansion team name, the Las Vegas Outlaws.

I've also thought that it was too bad that the WNBA got the most natural team name. The Outlaws seems like a good possibility though.

Other possible locally related names:
Scorpions (it's Nevada State's mascot, but they might not whine about sharing though if it brought them more attention.)
Gamblers (let's just go all in)
High Rollers (a bit less)
Neon (We see your City Unis, Heat, and raise you)

Scorpions make probably the most sense considering the amount of creature names in the league (Grizzlies, Wolves, Hornets, Bulls, etc). Although I do like High Rollers a lot. Las Vegas High Rollers "rolls" off the tounge very well.

[JayMKE]

NBA probably wouldn’t want any name referencing gambling or crime

[kombayn]

Las Vegas Barons

[Sactowndog]

I'm not talking about just the coast, I'm talking about the conference as a whole.

Look at the divisions (specifically the orange) and try to argue that it makes geographic sense.

It would be interesting to see how these dominoes fall. Seattle and Vancouver would naturally go to the Northwest division (the orange) which would open the way to the divisions making more geographical sense. Minny and Memphis would move to the East (Central for Minny, Southeast for Memphis) and OKC would probably move to the Southwest.

Only one team would move from West to East (and it would be Minnesota)

Northwest: Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento
Pacific: Golden State, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Phoenix
Southwest: New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio
Midwest: Utah, Denver, Oklahoma City, Memphis

Atlantic: Brooklyn, New York, Boston, Philadelphia
Northeast: Detroit, Toronto, Cleveland, Washington
Southeast: Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Orlando
Central: Minnesota, Milwaukee, Chicago, Indiana

When you look at fit does kind of argue Kansas City:
NorthWest: Seattle, Portland, Golden State, Sacramento
Southwest: Utah, Los Angeles x2, Phoenix
Plains: Denver, OKC, Kansas City, Dallas
Texas: Houston, Memphis, New Orleans, San Antonio

[LakerLegend]

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/261267/Adam-Silver-Suggests-NBA-Wont-Expand-For-Under-$25-Billion-Franchise-Fee

[LakerLegend]

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-could-expand-32-teams-205243238.html

[RandlesCornrows]

I’m shocked it took all these years for Las Vegas to get professional teams. The golden knights proved there’re great location for sports.

[DoItALL9]

I don't think Las Vegas is a great market for the NBA as the third team to arrive of the Big 4 sports.
LV already has a WNBA & pro soccer team too.

Sent from my LM-G710 using RealGM mobile app


2025 - 4th team

[DTP]

Pistons and Cavs could contract right now and literally nobody would care. I question the logic in adding 30 more G-Leaguers to the NBA without having fixed the "superstar" problem. If you can distribute talent more evenly throughout the league (see NFL), this seems fine, but if not we'll just have 2 more tanking teams each year

Pistons are a historic franchise in this league, your franchise is and has always been irrelevant.

[LakerLegend]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/rumor-nba-teams-going-move-120029893.html

[Cactus Jack]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/rumor-nba-teams-going-move-120029893.html

Rumor: If an NBA teams is going to move cities it would be Pelicans

It's NOT happening.

To be clear, [owner Gayle] Benson is deeply connected to New Orleans and not currently seeking to sell

As Hollinger notes, the NBA’s expansion plan changes that dynamic, somewhat. The league is going to protect those massive expansion fees that will be coming in and would not let the Pelicans move to Seattle or potentially Las Vegas (Seattle is a lock for a new team when the vote comes up in 2022, Vegas appears to be the current frontrunner for the other one).

None of the existing teams are moving. Expansion is on the horizon.

[LakerLegend]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/rumor-nba-teams-going-move-120029893.html

Rumor: If an NBA teams is going to move cities it would be Pelicans

It's NOT happening.

To be clear, [owner Gayle] Benson is deeply connected to New Orleans and not currently seeking to sell

As Hollinger notes, the NBA’s expansion plan changes that dynamic, somewhat. The league is going to protect those massive expansion fees that will be coming in and would not let the Pelicans move to Seattle or potentially Las Vegas (Seattle is a lock for a new team when the vote comes up in 2022, Vegas appears to be the current frontrunner for the other one).

None of the existing teams are moving. Expansion is on the horizon.

The league might not let them move to Seattle, but there are bunch of potential markets like Vancouver, Kansas City, Vegas which could all be in play depending on which other city gets the 2nd expansion.

The owner is a another matter.