NBA Expansion: 2 teams that could probably get added next to the league
The topic of NBA expansion has continued to pop up in talks over recent years, with fans hopeful that the league will add two more teams in the future. Although there has been little word from the NBA brass and commissioner Adam Silver for quite some time, he recently began to openly discuss the situation.
Back in early June, prior to Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal asked Silver point blank about a potential NBA expansion. As Silver explained at the time, the talk of an expansion was a real possibility, however, first there would be several hurdles that he and the league had to navigate.
First, a new collective bargaining agreement had to be ratified, a hurdle that has since been cleared. Next, the league will work on its media rights package and broadcasting deal, before then shifting its sights to a potential expansion.
This week, while fielding questions at the Associated Press Sports Editors convention, Silver spoke about the situation. As he explained, once the new media deal is done, the league will in fact discuss an NBA expansion. In addition, he also cited Las Vegas and Seattle as the two most-likely markets for an NBA expansion:
"We will look at [Vegas]. There's no doubt there's enormous interest in Seattle. That's not a secret. There are other markets that have indicated interest. For the people who hear or read about this interview, we are not engaged in that process now. We're not taking meetings right now with any potential groups.
"What we're saying to everyone, privately is the same thing I'm saying publicly that there'll be a very open process at the time already to consider expansion. But that's not yet."
Could LeBron James purchase an NBA expansion team?
Of course, with new teams come new owners. Should the league expand into Seattle and Las Vegas as many expect, there's one big name who already has made it known that he would be interested in ownership.
According to LeBron James, after his playing career is done, he wants to own a franchise. Unsurprisingly, one of the cities he expressed interest in bringing a team to was Las Vegas.
While ownership would certainly conflict with his playing career, James has even gone so far as to say that he could retire in order to pursue ownership. With the league likely to negotiate its media rights deal next offseason, many are wondering what that could mean for James.
At the same time, there has been plenty of speculation as to who could look to purchase a potential Seattle franchise. Given fans have been eager for the city to get another team since the departure of the SuperSonics, it sounds as though there will be plenty of interested parties.
One big name investor who wants to bring a team to Seattle is Hall of Famer Gary Payton, who stated back in 2022 that he's already talking to ownership groups. While Payton wouldn't be able to outright purchase the team, he could play an integral role in an ownership group.