NBA commissioner Adam Silver: Seattle on expansion short list

Seattle basketball fans have been clamoring for a NBA team ever since the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. They may get their wish.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver mentioned Seattle as one of three cities who could be awarded an expansion franchise in the future.

“There’s been some discussion about going back to Seattle, potentially,” Silver told NBC Sports Boston before Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday. “Las Vegas, no doubt, is very interested in a team. Mexico City one day.”

Silver indicated the league’s owners are discussing expanding from its current 30 teams to 32. However, he wants to finalize the league’s media rights deals before taking on expansion.

“We have to understand what our long-term media relationships are before we look to expansion. We’re in the process of wrapping up those deals now,” Silver told NBC Sports Boston. “They’re going to be long-term deals. I’m hoping, we’re not done yet, but they’ll be successful in terms of generating more money for the league and the teams and then we’ll be in a position to look at expansion.”

Silver said he hopes to close the media rights deals soon. According to the Wall Street Journal, the league is “closing in” on deals with the Disney/ESPN, NBC and Amazon that amount to a staggering $76 billion over 11 years. Those deals will begin with the start of the 2025-26 season.

The massive infusion of cash has the league looking at expansion, but Silver cautioned nothing is set in stone. Still, he’s confident the league can successfully absorb two additional teams.

“It’s not preordained that we’ll expand,” Silver said. “I’ve said it before, you’ve got to look at the dilution, potentially, of talent, but there’s so much great basketball being played around the world. I don’t think there’s any doubt that over time, this league can sustain two more teams.”

Seattle had the SuperSonics for 41 years before owner Clay Bennett moved the franchise to Oklahoma City. Seattle has been rumored to be at the top of the expansion list for a long time. Las Vegas, another strong possibility, has become the league’s go-to city for a number of events – including the Summer League, In-season Tournament and All-Star Game.

The league has played a game in Mexico City in every season since 2016-17 (with the exception of 2021-22 due to the COVID pandemic) and Mexico has hosted more games than any other country outside of the United States and Canada.