Best Cities for NBA Expansion Teams

Adam Silver has stated the NBA may be looking to add expansion teams due to the financial losses from COVID.

Makes sense for the NBA. COVID crippled their financial status and this is a good way of getting that money back. The NFL already has 32 teams. The NHL will soon have 32 teams after they debut the Seattle Kraken in the 2021-2022 season.

Now the fun begins. Which city is going to be the next NBA hotspot?

There's already one lock, and it's Seattle. Ever since the Sonics left for OKC, the fans in the Pacific Northwest have been heard. Seattle deserves basketball. I mean, if I were a fan of the Sonics and they left me for Oklahoma City, I'll be pretty pissed too. I've never been to OKC. I'm sure it's a beautiful city, but really, y'all are going to leave Seattle for them? They have a passionate fanbase. We see how loud they get at Seahawks games. They might be the only franchise in the MLS that has a dedicated fan base. I see the transition being like when the Browns came back to Cleveland.

How about the other team? Where are they going to go? Here are three possibilities.

LAS VEGAS

This is a no-brainer. To be honest, it will probably be Vegas.

The Vegas sports scene has exploded in the past few years. It started when the NHL announced the Golden Knights a few years ago, followed by the Raiders coming to town in 2020. Vegas also tried to recruit MLB teams to make Sin City their home.

Vegas has everything a sports team is looking for. It's a hotbed for the entertainment industry. Why has it taken so long to get professional sports in Vegas? Millions of sports fans fly into Vegas every year as it's heaven for all gamblers.

Pretty crazy to think Vegas went from having zero professional teams to have a chance to become a full-blown four-sport city.

LOUISVILLE

When you think of Kentucky, you think of whiskey, KFC, and basketball.

We all know how big the college basketball scene is down there. Whether you bleed Kentucky blue or are a die-hard Louisville Cardinal, Kentucky has some pretty awesome college basketball. Add an NBA team and I think Louisville becomes one of the more unique NBA cities.

I took a shot at OKC earlier, but it's really impressive what the ownership group has done. They built a strong fan base and put together a competitive team every year. With the right ownership group and support, I think Louisville can build something similar.

ST. LOUIS

I was thinking of putting Austin in here. Texas already has three NBA teams and UT already dominates that area. So I decided on St.Louis.

When Stan Kroenke backstabbed the fans of St. Louis, it obviously left them pissed. The Rams ditched their loyal girlfriend for a much hotter one that lives in LA.

As a baseball fan, I know how loyal Cardinals fans are. Although it's a self-given nickname, they truly are some of the best fans in sports. I'm sure they would rally behind a basketball team if they were given the opportunity.

They already have an arena because of the Blues. I'm sure the two sides can come together. Get some renovations or maybe build a brand new arena. Regardless, we know St. Louis is more than capable of handling a professional sports team.

My final prediction is Seattle and Las Vegas with conference realignment. My guess is that they will be added to the West, leaving Minnesota and New Orleans to join the East.

Although none of this is official, it seems like we're headed towards this direction with the NBA scrambling for ways to make up lost revenue.