Let's talk NBA Expansion

Every few months the discussion of NBA expansion comes up in the news. The league hasn't expanded since 2004, but has seen relocation of a few teams. Here, I outline 5 potential candidates for the NBA to seriously consider should they choose to increase from their current 30 team structure.

1. Seattle

One of the biggest relocations mistakes in pro-sports is probably that of the Seattle Super Sonics. The New Arena, formerly KeyArena, has undergone massive redevelopment just in time for the NHL expansion franchise, Seattle Kraken, at a cost of close to 1 billion dollars. Climate Pledge Arena would instantly become one of the envies of the league.

Part of the reason why the Sonics left for Oklahoma City was the inability to fund an NBA-quality arena. Over a decade later, that issue has since been resolved. The appetite in the city for NBA basketball has always remained, and Seattle has significant goodwill in NBA circles given its history. Seattle has also been a great supporter for their WNBA franchise, the Seattle Storm, which tells you all you need to know about the popularity of the sport in the market. Besides, who wouldn't want the SuperSonics back in the NBA?

2. Vegas

The NBA is familiar with the city of Las Vegas, where the summer league has grown to include all 30 teams. The G League holds its annual winter showcase in Vegas every December. T-Mobile Arena is practically brand-new and available; the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights and the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders have been very successful and popular in the market thus far.

The city isn't a huge media market, but partnerships with various casinos would give an NBA team a full house every night. While Las Vegas has been hit hard with casinos and hotels shut down, hopefully this is a short-term problem. Las Vegas might be the easiest answer to the relocation question. It has the building, the infrastructure and a pre-existing relationship with the league. Bonus points also go to the fact they already have WNBA that has been fairly popular in the city.

3. Vancouver

A little out of left field with this one, but I’m Canadian and would like another Canadian team. Sue me. Basketball has grown tremendously in Canada since the days of the Vancouver Grizzlies. The Raptors, current NBA champions, are the lone team north of the border, but the country has produced several high-level players in recent years, including Jamal Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Andrew Wiggins, and RJ Barrett, among others.

The Raptors became a popular franchise throughout the Vince Carter era. Since 1998, they have been owned by Canadian company Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which had a vested interest in making basketball work in the city. The Grizzlies just didn't have the same star power (apologies to Mike Bibby, Shareef Abdur-Raheem, and “Big Country” Bryant Reeves). It also didn’t help that ownership didn't have the same investment in the country of Canada as the Raptors ownership group. The team was eventually sold and relocated to Memphis in 2001. Vancouver has Rogers Arena ready to go and would love another chance. Plus, who wouldn’t want to see those awesome jerseys make a return, even if it’s under a new moniker. How does the Vancouver Kodiaks (still keeping with a bear theme) sound?

4. Kansas City

The Missouri area, notably Kansas City, has been looking to attract an NBA team for some time. Before the Kings played in Sacramento, they were the Kansas City Kings until 1985. The city houses the Royals (MLB) and Chiefs (NFL). They also have a ready-made arena in the T-Mobile Center, which opened in 2007. The arena is owned by the city but run by the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which has had a long relationship with the NBA.

The T-Mobile Center hosts the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament every year and is home to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. The downtown area also features plenty of eating and shopping locations nearby. The city seems more and more appealing as the area continues to grow and develop. Kansas City also has a potential owner in NFL star Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes is already a minority owner with the Royals, but is reportedly interested in expanding his portfolio with an NBA franchise. It could be a match made in heaven for KC.

5. Mexico City

The Mexico City area is home to 21 million people, making it the 19th largest city on the planet as of this writing. It has the advantage of being a relatively quick flight from places such as Dallas, Houston, and basically any southern based teams. The NFL has flirted with games in Mexico City, as has the NBA. The NBA's G League has already added the Capitanes, the 29th team in the league that plays at the Gimnasio Juan de la Barrera in Mexico City. The Capitanes have a five-year deal with the G League. If the experiment works, Mexico City might end up topping the list for next franchise relocation.

The NBA would have the market (and really the entirety of Mexico) to itself in a situation not unlike the Raptors of today. Their only competition would be Liga MX soccer, which is obviously tough competition, but they’ve made the Raptors work in hockey mad Canada in a market where the MLB’s Blue Jays are wildly popular. So the situations wouldn’t be too dissimilar. Plus, Mexico City Arena is fairly new (built in 2012), has hosted regular season NBA games before.