Return Of The SuperSonics? NBA Considering Copying NHL's Homework, Will Explore Expansion In Seattle, Las Vegas

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed to reporters that the league is at least thinking about exploring the idea of expansion in Seattle and Las Vegas.

Hey, it worked out rather nicely for the National Hockey League.

Silver spoke to reporters about the idea of upping the league's number of teams from 30 to 32, but mentioned that the priority was working through the NBA's next media rights deal. The current media deal wraps up after the 2024-25 season.

“We will turn to expansion once those new media deals are done,” Silver said earlier this week at the Associated Press Sports Editors convention in Las Vegas, per The Athletic. “It’s not a sure thing but, as I’ve said before, I think it’s natural that organizations grow over time.”

Organizations certainly do grow over time, and it's been a while since the NBA added an expansion team. The last one was in 2004 when the current iteration of the Charlotte Hornets joined the league as the Charlotte Bobcats.

“We will look at this market,” he said, referring to Las 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. That’s not yet now.”

Seattle isn't new to the NBA, and the league currently has a presence in Las Vegas with the NBA Summer League. (Getty Images)

Seattle and Las Vegas Expansion Could Make NBA Teams Some Serious Cash... To Potentially Make Up For Some They Could Miss Out On

Seattle and Las Vegas have both been the favorites to land teams. Seattle is a familiar market to the league, having housed the Seattle SuperSonics between 1967 and 2008. Their former home KeyArena (now called Climate Pledge Arena) was recently renovated and is now home to the latest NHL expansion team, the Seattle Kraken.

Vegas, on the other hand, would be brand new territory, though it has been proven to be successful in hosting major professional teams like the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights and the Las Vegas Raiders.

The NHL paved the way in showing how to roll out expansion teams in these cities. Granted, the NHL isn't quite as woke as the NBA has become, but God love 'em, they're trying.

However, it'll be interesting to see how this plays out. OutKick founder Clay Travis recently called the NBA the "original Bud Light." Viewership is in decline thanks to an affinity for leaning into woke politics. For that reason, the league may see the money it pulls in through its media rights deal take a dip.

Expansion fees could make for a quick infusion of cash for the 30 current NBA teams.

Back in 2021, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that the number being floated around for an expansion fee was around $2.5 billion. If that's what they went with, that would net each existing club around $160 million.

That's a nice chunk of change.

So adding expansion teams might be a "break in case of emergency" option should the next rights deal wind up looking a little bleak.

But then again, there could be another issue. Who would want to pay that much money for a new team in a league on the decline?

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