What Sonics fans might hear about expansion at NBA All-Star Game
SAN FRANCISCO – While there seems a high likelihood that potential NBA expansion will be part of the conversation this weekend during the league’s All-Star Game, any substantive action is probably getting kicked down the road a little farther.
The best of the NBA will gather in the Bay Area this weekend for the All-Star Game where the league will still be settling down from the wake of a wild news cycle before the trade deadline that saw some of the biggest names in the sport move with stunning deals while also unveiling a new format for the game in the hope of increasing interest and competitiveness.
A new All-Star Game format and the buzz generated around the trade deadline is good for the league. But it matters little in Seattle, where the only question hoops fans care about is whether the league is prepared to start seriously considering expansion.
The answer is likely to disappoint. There are no signs the NBA is ready to begin the expansion clock – yet.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will hold his first full media availability in the U.S. since September on Saturday. During his previous news conferences over the past few months in Mexico City and in Paris, he was asked specifically about the possibility of international expansion.
In Mexico City, Silver was questioned about the NBA potentially considering the capital city as an expansion location as it is the home of a G League franchise. Silver did say at that time that the league had started doing internal work looking at the economics of expansion. In Paris, the talk centered on the possibility of the NBA looking into starting a European league in the future.
The last time domestic expansion was broached with the commissioner was in September following the league’s Board of Governors meetings. At that time, Silver said he expected expansion to be addressed at some point during the 2024-25 season but didn’t elaborate further.
“It was something that we told our board we plan to address this season, and we’re not quite ready yet,” Silver said last September. “But I think there’s certainly interest in the process and I think that we’re not there yet in terms of having made any specific decisions about markets or even frankly to expand.”
While expansion will likely be asked about during Silver’s news conference on Saturday, the belief is the earliest the league will take any action or have deep discussion on the topic is the next Board of Governors meeting, which is typically held late in the regular season.
The NBA has cleared a couple of obstacles since Silver made his statement about expansion back in September. Most notably, the lawsuit brought by Warner Bros. Discovery regarding the media rights deal agreed to last year was settled without further acrimony.
But there are issues that remain – most notably the sale of the Boston Celtics seems to be taking longer than first expected. The first round of bids on the sale process weren’t received until late January and the Boston Globe reported on Jan. 14 that the current majority owners say they expect a “first closing” on the sale sometime in the spring.
The Celtics sale is a tipping point for so much within the expansion conversation as the final sale price should help set the parameters for an expansion fee should the league decide to add teams. It will be billions, but what number it starts with could be guided by what happens in Boston.
Additionally, there seems to be little progress made on clarifying the situation in Las Vegas – the other leader along with Seattle when it comes to expansion – about not only a potential venue but a potential owner. While there continues to be at least two known groups looking to build a new venue in Las Vegas that could house an NBA team, Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley said in December he’s looking at giving T-Mobile Arena a $300 million facelift that could help entice an owner to consider partnering on a deal there.
Seattle’s situation
Despite the events of the past few months, the commitment of Samantha Holloway and the Kraken ownership group to pursue the expansion process if it begins appears to remain the same.
Holloway’s father and Kraken co-founder David Bonderman died in December.
Bonderman was also a minority owner of the Celtics. Additionally, longtime NBA executive Rick Welts, who had been working as a consultant with the Kraken group in preparation for a possible expansion bid, came out of retirement to take over as CEO of the Dallas Mavericks.
But Holloway may not be alone in trying to put together an ownership group. Rumblings within the league have grown in recent months of others from outside the market looking into the possibility of ownership in Seattle. That would come with a multitude of questions, but competition could help the NBA land whatever expansion price its seeking should the process begin.
Another group may never come to fruition and any publicly stated interests seem unlikely until the league decides to formally start the expansion discussions.
Call from the Hall?
While there are no Seattle connections taking part in the All-Star Game this season, there is likely to be some news related to a legendary Seattle player on Friday.
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame will announce the finalists up for consideration for the 2025 class and retired Storm star Sue Bird seems likely be among the group advancing in the process. The Hall of Fame will announce finalists in the categories of: North American, women’s, women’s veterans, international and contributors.
Bird is the most obvious local connection, but others on the ballot for the first time include Gonzaga coach Mark Few (North American), one-time Sonics coach Bernie Bickerstaff (contributor) and recently passed Sonics’ great Gus Williams (veterans).
Only the North American and women’s categories have a screening process to determine finalists. To advance in the North American category candidates need seven of nine votes; for the women’s category it’s five of seven. The Hall of Fame Honors Committee will review the finalists and cast their vote or induction or not – 18 of 24 votes is needed to be inducted.
The full Hall of Fame class for 2025 will be announced at the Men’s Final Four in April in San Antonio.