NBA expansion has been a hot-button topic in recent years, and even more so in recent weeks, as the NBA prepares to expand, with Seattle and Las Vegas as the most likely landing spots for new or returning franchises (SuperSonics fans assemble, wink, wink).
First reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, this marks the start of the NBA’s 32-team expansion process. Multiple high-ranking officials have termed expansion ripe, despite some obvious issues within the league. Now the NBA will examine Seattle and Las Vegas bids over the next several months and decide whether to execute the new franchise purchases now or in a few years.
NBA fans in Seattle have longed for the return of an NBA franchise to the city, and it seems they’ll get their wish, as the NBA Board of Governors voted to approve bringing an NBA team back to Seattle. When the SuperSonics left (read as “were taken from”) Seattle in 2008 and became the Oklahoma City Thunder, there was one major caveat. If a franchise were ever brought back to Seattle, that franchise would have the right to all SuperSonics history prior to the move to Oklahoma City, a move lauded by SuperSonics and NBA fans alike. Bidding for the new franchises is expected to start in the $7-$10 billion range.
The Los Angeles Lakers are the most recent franchise to see an ownership change, with the team selling for $10 billion, far and away the most expensive sale of an NBA franchise in league history.
Start dusting off those Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton Seattle basketball fans.
