The NBA's Next Expansion
The scene was emotional.
Fans in Seattle cheered on the Golden State Warriors forward, Kevin Durant, as he marched out for player introductions in a Shawn Kemp Supersonics jersey. He grabbed a microphone and opined about how it’s been a tough 10 years for the fans of Seattle since their ownership group notoriously moved the old Seattle franchise to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder. Nike even commemorated the departure by embroidering the Sonics old logo on a player exclusive that Durant wore to the game.
17,074 fans came out to pack the final event at Key Arena before it’s demolition, the same arena that the NBA deemed unworthy of professional basketball just over a decade ago. Seattle’s NBA experience has been reduced to an occasional preseason exhibition, but it didn’t stop basketball enthusiasts from coming out in their defunct green and yellow Supersonics gear. It’s still a big town, and certainly one deserving of a franchise after hosting the Supersonics for more than 40 years. Something just feels cruel about dangling pro hoops in front of a crowd that lost it so abruptly. Rumors suggest there are serious suitors interested in bringing professional basketball back to Seattle, and I think it’s time the NBA takes those inquiries seriously and consider league expansion.
The PE Nike Cortez designed for the final game in Seattle’s Key Arena
The league currently sits at 30 teams, with 15 in each conference. They should be aiming for the NFL’s model of 32 teams. There are two sixteen team conferences with four team divisions. This is mostly a matter of geography. The Memphis Grizzlies, the easternmost Western Conference team should be an Eastern Conference team. That would give the East a perfect 16 team lineup.
The issue then becomes getting the West up from 14 teams to 16. We’ll add Seattle as mentioned above, but the final team should reside in Las Vegas. The league flirted with the possibility when they put the All-Star Game there in 2007, and commissioner Adam Silver has spoken openly about the benefits of sports gambling. This union just makes too much sense. The city is expecting the NFL’s Raiders in 2020 and they welcomed the NHL’s Golden Knights with great success in 2017.
The NBA should give serious consideration to expansion. The popularity of the league is sky-high. There seems to be more than enough talent to stock 32 rosters. Plus, there are at least two more markets who can reasonably support a professional basketball franchise. This kind of growth is necessary to avoid the complacency that has hurt other leagues in recent years. Adam Silver and his band of owners need to keep the fans first.
