NBA exploring expansion but ‘nothing predetermined,’ says Adam Silver

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has revealed that the league is exploring expansion, but nothing has been predetermined. NBA’s board of governors discussed the topic of expansion at meetings this week, Silver revealed on Tuesday.

Silver said the NBA will continue to research whether the league can potentially add teams for the next season.

“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 in his opening remarks. “We’re going to be as thorough as possible and look at all the potential issues.”

Silver said that the process would be led by two existing subcommittees of the league’s governors. The NBA commissioner added no poll has yet taken place.

“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 said it is a complicated issue, and they want to get it right by discussing all the details.

“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.”

Silver added that they would not be taking the right call if they don’t figure out how local regional television rights would work.

“We would be malpracticing if we didn’t figure out how local regional television is going to work before expanding,” Silver said. “The notion that we would hand over a team into a city where we’re not currently operating and say, ‘You’re going to have to figure out how you’re going to distribute your games to your local fans’ doesn’t make sense.”