Nearly a quarter-century after the last expansion, the NBA world is getting set to welcome some new members to its core. The 30-team league, which has been prevalent for quite some time, is adding two new franchises, bringing its total to 32.
Seattle and Las Vegas are the proposed destinations, with the former likely bringing back the SuperSonics franchise to its helm. Right now, the plan is still a ways away, but ex-players like Isaiah Thomas are already hitching their wagons to the future organizations.
Isaiah Thomas Wants Front Office Role With New NBA Expansion Teams
The conversation about another expansion to the current basketball format has been ongoing for quite some time. But over the last month, those plans have become tangible.
As Shams Charania of ESPN noted, the board of governors was set to vote on a potential expansion to add two more teams to the league, presumably based in Seattle and Vegas.
Then, the history-making news dropped on March 25, when Charania took to X once again to reveal the results of the vote. “Breaking: The NBA’s Board of Governors has approved a vote for the league to explore bids and applicants for expansion teams exclusively in Las Vegas and Seattle, sources tell ESPN.”
Additionally, he gave a preliminary budget for these two franchises, saying, “A bidding process is expected to generate offers in the $7-10 billion range for each team.” While there isn’t clarity on who will be taking on a new ownership role, we do have some developments in that area.
LeBron James, while collecting innumerable hardware awards over his storied 23-year career, has made it clear that an ownership role was always his dream. But once talk of the vote began to stir up, he backed away from the idea.
Because James made it clear that an ownership role wasn’t in his plans anymore, it seems unlikely that the four-time MVP is taking up that mantle anytime soon. However, a different former player has made his interest clear.
Thomas, who built a remarkable career after being drafted with the 60th overall pick, including two All-Star appearances and legitimate MVP buzz for the Boston Celtics, was hampered by injuries in his later years.
As a result, he wasn’t able to sustain a comeback to the NBA, despite multiple attempts with rosters like the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Hornets, and most recently, the Phoenix Suns.
But he’s now changing his tune to get involved with the NBA in a different capacity. After Charania broke the news, Thomas immediately responded, “Duhhhh! I need in on front office/ownership.”
With the massive bidding number already in place, it will be interesting to see whether Thomas can make his dream come true in a minority capacity or find a role as a front-office executive.
But the immediate buzz from the news has made it clear that the expansion teams could be a welcome addition to the basketball stratosphere.
