Since 2004, and the birth of the Bobcats, the NBA has slowed down the addition of new franchises. Yet applications are multiplying, and cities like Seattle and Las Vegas seem ready to welcome a team, but Adam Silver has always dampened general enthusiasm. But last night, before Game 1 of the Finals, the big boss of the NBA assured that he would now look seriously at the subject. After the validation of the new collective agreement and the signing of the next TV contract, estimated at 76 billion dollars, this is the next project for the NBA.
“There is nothing planned about us expanding the championship, but I know there is a lot of interest”said Silver during its annual press conference. “And to me, yes, there are very wealthy people, institutions that would like to invest and buy NBA teams, but I think it's up to the league to look holistically because of course that will result in dilution.” .
Where to find talent, and where to set up a team?
By “dilution”, Silver means the dispersion of talents. “Let’s say we add two teams” he continues. “ What does this mean in terms of talent? I am very satisfied with the current talent in the NBA, but the other players have to come from somewhere…” For Silver, adding two franchises means 35 additional players, and are there, today, 35 NBA-level players to add?
Finally, there is the question of geography. Where to create these two franchises? “If you add two teams, how will it work geographically? What impact on the evolution of basketball? At some point, we would like to look outside the United States, and beyond Canada. Maybe it's not the right time to do it, but I'm also thinking about the long term. »
