Appetite for expansion among NBA team governors remains low, with little momentum for adding new teams—though one frontrunner city has clearly emerged.
The NBA hasn’t expanded in over 20 years, with the Charlotte Bobcats (now the Hornets) being the last team added, becoming the league’s 30th franchise in 2004.
Speculation has been growing about potential expansion markets—both in the U.S. and internationally, including Europe—but there is still no clear timeline for when the league might add new teams.
According to The Athletic, there is currently no overwhelming momentum among NBA governors to expand beyond the current 30 teams.
At the moment, several team owners would prefer to begin collecting and dividing the incoming revenue from the league’s massive new media deal—reported to be a 10-year, $76 billion agreement starting next season—rather than bringing in new partners who would take a share of that financial pie.
The Athletic also reports that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has recently softened his stance on the NBA Europe project.
While the league had previously projected a launch within the next two to three years, progress has reportedly slowed—partly due to the ongoing sale processes of high-profile franchises like the Celtics and Lakers.
Whenever the next round of expansion does occur, Seattle is widely believed to be the leading candidate to receive a new NBA franchise.
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