NBA commissioner Adam Silver remains committed to exploring potential expansion for the league.
After the board of governors met in Las Vegas earlier this week, Silver told reporters that it will take some additional research before any expansion plans are finalized.
“A lot of analysis still needs to be done and nothing’s been predetermined one way or another, and without any specific timeline,” Silver said, per ESPN’s Kevin Pelton. “We’re going to be as thorough as possible and look at all the potential issues.”
The league has been known to be considering adding franchises in cities like Seattle and Las Vegas, but no decisions are imminent. The Athletic’s David Aldridge and Mike Vorkunov reported earlier this week that multiple sources said that “while Seattle remains a top candidate for a new or potentially relocated team among owners, there is not overwhelming momentum among governors to immediately expand past the current 30 teams.”
Silver explained that two subcommittees, the advisory finance committee and the audit and strategy committee, will lead the process of determining the best course for expansion. He said that while a straw poll wasn’t taken during the meetings, there was a sense of “curiosity” among the league’s governors.
“A consensus quickly formed that the league office should do the work,” Silver said, “and work with these particular committees and the board and present that analysis.”
Silver is pleased with how things have played out so far and called this week’s update “a significant step.” Still, he noted that there’s a lot of work to be done before anything becomes official.
“We’re now engaging in this in-depth analysis, something we weren’t prepared to do before,” Silver said. “But beyond that, as I said, it’s really day one of that analysis. In terms of price, potential timeline — too early to say. And again, I think that also assumes the outcome of this analysis. It is truly a complicated issue.”
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