The NBA could soon include teams in Las Vegas and Seatttle, and Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and center Bam Adebayo are especially intrigued by that possibility.
The NBA announced Wednesday that the NBA Board of Governors voted Wednesday to authorize the league to explore bids and applicants for expansion teams in Las Vegas and Seattle.
“Today’s vote reflects our Board’s interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle — two markets with a long history of support for NBA basketball,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement on Wednesday. “We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties.”
The NBA is reportedly targeting the 2028-29 season for the two expansion franchises to begin playing.
“It would be fun,” said Spoelstra, who grew up in the Pacific Northwest in Portland, Oregon. “I think all the Pacific Northwest people were sad when [the Seattle SuperSonics] left. I loved the games there.”
Seattle has been without an NBA team since 2008, when the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City and changed their name to the Thunder.
With Spoelstra’s father working as a Trail Blazers executive for a time, he grew up rooting against the rival SuperSonics.
“I grew up disliking the Sonics very much because I was a Trail Blazers fan,” Spoelstra said ahead of Wednesday night’s matchup against the Cavaliers in Cleveland. “But it was an awesome environment. It’s a city that can really rally around their team. I think we’re adding two good teams, two good markets. It would be a big positive for the league.”
For Adebayo, an NBA team in Las Vegas would mean more time in his “second home.” Adebayo has spent a lot of time in Las Vegas recently because his longtime girlfriend A’ja Wilson is the best player on the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces roster.
“If I get to play in Vegas, I get to go home a little bit,” Adebayo said Wednesday. “It’s my second home, so that’d be cool.”
But if Las Vegas gets an NBA team, Adebayo doesn’t know if Aces fans will be able to root against him because of his ties to Wilson.
“Aces fans are really true to the Aces,” Adebayo said. “So I don’t know how that’s going to happen. But if they start winning like the Aces do, then maybe.”
Full-go
While Heat forward Nikola Jovic has yet to play much since returning from a back issue, Spoelstra made clear it’s not because he’s still nursing the injury.
“I would say he’s pretty darn close to full-go,” Spoelstra said Wednesday. “Is he 100%? You’d have to ask him, but he’s ready. He’s available. He just has to continue to work and make the most of his opportunities when he gets them.”
Jovic missed 11 straight games because of lower back injury management. Wednesday’s matchup against the Cavaliers will mark the fifth straight game that Jovic has been available for since returning, but he has played a total of only four minutes in one appearance over his first four games after coming back from the injury.
Injury report
The only Heat players out on Wednesday are its three two-way contract players in Vlad Goldin., Trevor Keels and Jahmir Young, who are all in the G League. Guard Terry Rozier also remains away from the team.
The Cavaliers, which are playing on the back end of a back-to-back after defeating the Orlando Magic at home on Tuesday night, ruled out Jarrett Allen (right knee tendonitis), Craig Porter Jr. (left groin strain), Olivier Sarr (G League), Max Strus (left foot injury management) and Jaylon Tyson (left great toe bone bruise) for Wednesday’s game against the Heat.
Larry Nance Jr. (illness) is also listed as questionable for the Cavaliers.