The NBA bringing back the Seattle Supersonics and creating a new team in Las Vegas is very possible. However, a league insider has revealed the one thing that could kill the addition of those franchises.
Expansion is a conversation for almost every sports league in the world, and the NBA is no different. More teams can mean more content and potentially more money. It is also a chance for the league to expand its fanbase even further.
Over the last few years, the idea of expansion has been a hot topic, with two specific cities seeming like very heavy favorites to get a franchise. The first is Seattle. It was home for the Supersonics for 40 years, and their departure to Oklahoma City in 2008 is still viewed as a black mark on the league’s reputation.
The other town likely to get a team is Las Vegas. After decades of concerns about sports betting making a pro team in Vegas impossible, leagues getting in bed with various gambling platforms has completely changed that narrative. Now the city is home to the relocated Las Vegas Raiders and (eventually) the Athletics. As well as the first pro team in the 702, the Vegas Golden Knights.
Earlier this week, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver claimed that a final decision on whether the league will expand will officially come early next year. It has reignited speculation that, after years of rumors, pro basketball will soon be in Seattle and Las Vegas. Or maybe not.
NBA Revenue Sharing Could Be Hurdle in Seattle Supersonics Return
In a new report on the possibility of NBA expansion, The Athletic’s Zach Harper offered up a detailed explanation of the one thing that could stop the return of the Supersonics and the creation of a team in Sin City. According to the NBA insider, it all boils down to money.
Expanding to 32 teams would mean splitting the revenue-sharing pot even more, and the league’s current 30 owners may not be thrilled about that possibility. “We just don’t know if the current owners believe that offsets the annual dilution of their revenue. Maybe it seems like dumb economics or greed to not share in this wealth. But sometimes that’s strictly the motivation,” Harper wrote.
He did suggest that a way to balance the lost money could be to increase the fees that those new franchises have to pay to join the NBA.
NBA teams have been sold for some massive amounts in recent years. Including the Boston Celtics for $6.1 billion, and the Los Angeles Lakers for a record-breaking $10 billion. While annoying, it does make sense if those new owners don’t want to lose a portion of the hundreds of millions they are guaranteed to get in revenue sharing and would likely use towards recouping money from their huge purchases.
