"We're not quite ready": NBA Commissioner Adam Silver offers damp update on expansion talks after league's latest Board of Governors meeting
The NBA has been discussing league expansion for years, with Las Vegas and Seattle the two most likely locations for expansion teams. League expansion appears to be less of an 'if' and more of a 'when', but after the NBA's latest Board of Directors meeting, it appears the wait will continue.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver provided a disappointing update on the league's expansion talks on Tuesday afternoon but offered a glimmer of hope in his statement (via ESPN.com):
"There was not a lot of discussion in this meeting about expansion, but largely not for lack of interest, it was that we had said to them that we're not quite ready," Silver said.
"It was something that we told our board we plan to address this season, and we're not quite ready yet. But I think there's certainly interest in the process," he added.
League expansion is likely to come with two new NBA organizations, bringing the total number of teams from 30 to 32. Seattle is expected to see their beloved SuperSonics return in the league's first expansion under Silver, while Las Vegas remains a top destination.
With the success of the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA, it could bring attention to the city for an NBA franchise.
A look at the NBA's 'modern expansion'
The NBA's modern expansion dates back to 1988, when the league added the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets. The following year, the NBA expanded once again, adding the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Orlando Magic.
In 1995, the NBA expanded to Canada, adding the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors. While the Raptors remained in Toronto, the Grizzlies moved to Memphis following the 2000-2001 NBA season.
The latest NBA expansion came nearly 10 years after the Canadian expansion, with the addition of the Charlotte Bobcats. The Bobcats returned the history of the Charlotte era, thus making the New Orleans Hornets, now Pelicans, the true expansion team.
If a team were to return to Seattle, a similar situation would likely occur for the Oklahoma City Thunder.