The NBA could be returning to the Pacific Northwest sooner than later.
There are signs that Seattle could be home to a new expansion franchise at the highest level of basketball.
The NBA is currently negotiating a massive 11-year media rights deal with Disney, NBC, and Amazon, which will be worth about $76 million. Once that is done, the focus for the league is expected to turn to the “consideration of expansion,” per commissioner Adam Silver.
The NBA will turn to "consideration of expansion" once the media rights deal is finally finished, Adam Silver said.
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) July 17, 2024
Silver mentioned Seattle by name when discussing possible expansion cities during the NBA Final. It’s long been rumoured that both Seattle and Las Vegas will get new franchises when the NBA is ready to grow.
North America’s top basketball league still has just 30 teams and has stood by patiently while other major leagues have grown. The NHL has added expansion clubs in Las Vegas and Seattle in recent years, which have been very successful. It’s logical that the NBA could copy that blueprint and see the same success.
Plenty of willing buyers around North America would jump at the chance to own an NBA team.
Seattle was home to the Supersonics, who played in the NBA from 1967 until 2008 when the team moved to Oklahoma City and rebranded as the Thunder. The city does still have a WNBA team, the Seattle Storm, which is averaging more than 10,000 fans per game so far this season.
An NBA team in Seattle wouldn’t only be huge for fans in the city, but also for fans in Vancouver who live not far away. The Grizzlies left Vancouver back in 2001 and the city has been deprived of NBA basketball since.
The basketball culture in Vancouver has developed a lot since the Grizzlies departed. The Vancouver Bandits compete in the Canadian Elite Basketball League and are near the top of the standings this year.
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