There is growing speculation that the NBA will expand soon, and a new report suggests the potential timeline for its implementation, as well as the cities that might be granted franchises.
League insider Adrian Wojnarowski said on the ESPN show NBA Today that the league plans to explore expansion once it finalizes its upcoming media rights deal, which is set to end after the 2024-25 season.
Under the current media rights agreement worth $24 billion signed in 2014 and took effect in the 2016-17 season, the NBA receives $2.66 billion annually from Disney (ESPN) and Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT).
The league aims to triple the figure in its next media rights deal, seeking a staggering $75 billion total with an annual value of $8 billion, per a CNBC report in 2021.
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Two cities in pole position to receive expansion franchises
Wojnarowski has stated that the NBA plans to add two teams in its next round of expansion franchises, and Las Vegas and Seattle are the leading candidates to be awarded those teams.
"There is no question that the league has been migrating toward Las Vegas for years, from Summer League to preseason games, and certainly you've seen the success of other professional franchises in that city," the league insider said.
Meanwhile, the league had a team in Seattle for over four decades, from 1967 to 2008, known as the Supersonics. However, this team controversially relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder.
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