SEATTLE — Though the NBA has announced and essentially finalized its media rights deal, it isn't quite time for formal expansion talks according to the league's commissioner.
Adam Silver held a press conference Tuesday after the latest NBA Board of Governors meeting, where each of the league's 30 team owners discuss developments and make decisions about the Association.
Silver said "we're not quite ready" when asked about any further expansion talks, but did not rule out those conversations happening in the near future. Silver previously had pointed to the fall of 2024 as a potential starting point for expansion considerations.
“I know I’ve said this before, I think over time organizations should grow. It is appropriate,” Silver said. “But it gets a bit complicated in terms of selling equity in the league, what that means for the existing television relationships, etc. What we’ve told interested parties is, ‘Thank you for your interest, we’ll be back to you.'"
It is not exactly a secret that Seattle is among the most interested parties should the league indeed choose to expand. The Supersonics played in the NBA from 1967-2008, before the team was controversially moved to Oklahoma City.
“I think we will engage this fall, in earnest, in the process of making those determinations — should we expand and if we were to expand, how many teams should we expand,” Silver said in July (h/t Associated Press).
Las Vegas also has been mentioned as another strong candidate for NBA expansion, given the league's use of the Nevada city for Summer League and the In-Season Tournament.
Next month, Climate Pledge Arena will host an NBA preseason game for the third consecutive year. The Los Angeles Clippers, owned by former Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer, will face the Portland Trail Blazers on October 11 in the "Rain City Showcase."
Oak View Group, which operates Climate Pledge Arena and owns the Seattle Kraken, appears to be the most likely candidate to shepherd the NBA's return to Seattle. Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke has spoken openly about wanting to bring the NBA back to Seattle, and he has prior experience working as an executive in the NBA.
It has been a long wait for Seattle fans hoping to see the NBA return, and there are still dozens of steps that must be completed before the league once again has a team in the Emerald City.
As the dust settles around the NBA's new media rights deal this fall amid a potential legal battle with Warner Brothers Discovery, talks could commence by the end of 2024.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
