Adam Silver teases three means NBA expansion cities

Adam Silver teases three means NBA expansion cities originally looked on NBC Sports Boston

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks outlasted 28 other groups to succeed in the 2024 NBA Finals. That quantity could per chance well per chance simply raise in the very shut to future.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver joined NBC Sports Boston‘s Celtics Pregame Dwell on Sunday at TD Backyard forward of Sport 2 of the NBA Finals and confirmed the league will bear a examine the possibility of accelerating from its 30 fresh groups after it finalizes novel media rights provides.

“We have to like what our long-term media relationships are forward of we look to expansion. We’re in the technique of wrapping up those provides now,” Silver instructed co-hosts Tom Giles, Eddie Home and Brian Scalabrine. “They’ll be long-term provides. I’m hoping, we’re no longer accomplished but, but they’re going to get success in phrases of generating extra money for the league and the groups after which we’ll be in a online page to bear a examine expansion.”

The NBA’s fresh media rights deal expires after the 2024-25 season, and Silver said Thursday the league hopes to finalize novel long-term agreements in the “relative shut to term.” Fixed with the Wall Toll road Journal, the NBA is “closing in” on provides with NBC, ESPN and Amazon totaling about $76 billion over the subsequent 11 years.

While Silver insisted the league adding groups is no longer a given, it will per chance be a natural next step focused on the influx of cash from the aptitude media rights provides and the truth that two other professional sports leagues — the NFL and NHL — already bear 32 groups.

“It is rarely preordained that we’ll amplify,” Silver said. “I’ve said it forward of, you can bear obtained to bear a examine the dilution, potentially, of abilities, but there is so noteworthy substantial basketball being performed round the sphere. I don’t mediate there is any doubt that over time, this league could per chance well aid two more groups. And there is hobby in the market, so when we manufacture our media provides, we’ll flip our attention to that.”

So, which cities could per chance well per chance be in the running to be able to add a selection crew?

“There is been some dialogue about going back to Seattle, potentially,” Silver confirmed. “Las Vegas, no question, is terribly drawn to a crew. Mexico Metropolis sooner or later.

“Nonetheless there is a whole bunch other U.S. cities and Canadian cities, frankly, that bear reached out to us to repeat us they’d bear an interest.”

Seattle and Las Vegas long were rumored to be the league’s next two expansion cities, whereas Silver has urged on a few occasions the NBA is attempting to be able to add any other global crew outside the Toronto Raptors. The league has performed a minimal of one habitual-season sport in Mexico Metropolis in every season since 2016-17 (with the exception of for 2021-22 as a result of the COVID pandemic), so per chance that could per chance well per chance be the NBA’s next frontier after welcoming Seattle and Las Vegas.

Test out Silver’s paunchy interview in the YouTube video below.