“We have not yet fully validated the agreement with the media, but as soon as it is, we will look into the issue of expansion.” That's what Adam Silver said in July, and he talked about looking into adding one or two franchises in the medium term in the fall. “I think we'll be seriously engaged this fall in the decision-making process. Should we expand? And if we do expand, how many teams should we add? And what markets should we focus on?”
Finally, and even though it is not yet fall, the NBA's big boss warned that it was not yet on the agenda. “There was not much discussion about expansion at this meeting, but it was not for lack of interest, it was because we said we were not quite ready.”Silver justified himself during his press conference on Tuesday. “But we told the board that we intended to go into this season, and we're not quite ready yet.”
The Seattle case cited
In short, the owners are willing to create other franchises, but they have not pursued the idea. “I think there's certainly interest in the process, but I think we're not at the point where we're making specific decisions on cities or even frankly on expansion.” Silver continues. “I know I’ve said this before, I think over time, franchises have to grow. That’s a good thing. But it gets a little complicated in terms of selling league assets, what that means for existing television relationships, etc. What we’ve said to interested parties is that we appreciate their interest and we’ll get back to them. And that’s certainly the case in Seattle as well.”
