What Cities Should the NBA Consider Expanding To?
The NBA has let it be known that once the league closes on a new TV deal with the networks, next on the agenda would be to explore the possibility of expanding to more than 30 teams. The last time the NBA expanded was in 2004 with the Charlotte Hornets. Adam Silver has announced that if the league did expand, it would likely add two new teams to the league. With the new TV deal within reach now for the NBA, it may be time to consider what cities in the United States deserve to have an NBA team. So let’s consider what would be the best markets to expand the fanbase and reach of the NBA.
Seattle
The NBA needs to come back to the Pacific Northwest. After the NBA took away the Seattle SuperSonics, the Pacific Northwest of America has become irrelevant to the NBA. It makes no sense that some cities have multiple teams, like New York or Los Angeles, while the entire Pacific Northwest of the United States only has the lonely rebuilding Portland Trail Blazers. Now, Seattle does have a WNBA team, the Seattle Storm, and despite them not having a well-known start they still get a high home attendance of 10,000 per game. So it isn’t crazy to think that the people of Seattle would flood to fill the stands of a new NBA team in the city, especially after they lost the Seattle SuperSonics in 2008.
San Diego
Initially, you may think that Southern California already has multiple teams in Los Angeles so why would San Diego need an NBA team? Many San Diego residents would be quick to tell you that they do not identify with the city of Los Angeles. In fact, there is a rival nature between the two cities. This rivalry has been most prevalently seen in baseball with the Padres and the Dodgers. The NBA could capture a similar type of rivalry if the NBA expanded to San Diego and had multiple local rivals with both the Lakers and Clippers residing in LA. Ever since San Diego lost the Chargers to LA, they have longed for another professional sports team to capture their attention. With the Padres failing to do anything of significance in the MLB, it would make perfect sense for the NBA to put a new team in San Diego.
Las Vegas
We'll never know how it took so long for Las Vegas to get professional sports in the city, but recently they’ve started to add some. With new teams coming to town, like the Raiders from the NFL and the Athletics from the MLB, it would make perfect sense for the NBA to follow suit with all the other professional leagues and get an NBA team in Vegas. As the entertainment capital of the world, Vegas is already used to hosting exciting events and drawing in tourists from all over. Having an NBA team here would go right along with the new trend of sports teams flocking to Las Vegas.
Nashville
Nothing like an NBA team to go right along with a new up-and-coming city. With Nashville’s young population and exuberance for enjoying the city, putting an NBA team in the heart of the city has the potential to dominate the city’s sports market. Even with several college sports teams in the area, none of them are powerhouses so the market is wide open for the taking. Additionally, this could start an in-state rivalry with the Memphis Grizzles, which could bring some excitement to both teams.
