Given the substantial revenue the NBA generates, the common consensus is that expansion is inevitable. A matter of when, not if. However, it appears that the NBA may make some changes first before expanding the league further.
Expansion may still occur, but it appears that two NBA teams may find new locations first before any new teams are added to the league.
Which Two NBA Teams Could Be Relocated?
Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix revealed that the NBA is considering expansion, but relocation has recently been discussed with two particular teams that play in small markets.
“While expansion is the NBA’s preferred method to get teams in Seattle and Las Vegas, relocation has been discussed, as NBA commissioner Adam Silver told SI last month,” Mannix wrote.
He added, “And while no league official would come within 100 miles of publicly naming relocation candidates, the Grizzlies and Pelicans, small-market teams with arena deals that expire before the end of the decade, are often whispered as the most likely targets.”
In today’s @SInow NBA newsletter
▪️Grizzlies, Ja Morant at an inflection point
▪️Willie Green’s status in New Orleans
▪️Austin Reaves star turn in Los Angeles
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— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) November 4, 2025
The Grizzlies originally started as an NBA expansion team in Vancouver in 1995. They remained there until 2001, when they were relocated to Memphis due to the team’s limited revenue generation in their initial location.
The Pelicans originally started as the New Orleans Hornets in 2002 when the NBA relocated them from Charlotte. They then changed their team name to the Pelicans in 2013, honoring Louisiana’s state bird.
During their time in the NBA, neither the Grizzlies nor the Pelicans have consistently been among the best teams. The Grizzlies’ furthest advancement in the NBA Playoffs was in 2013, when they made their lone appearance in the Western Conference Finals. The furthest the Pelicans have advanced in the NBA Playoffs is to the Western Conference Semifinals in 2008 and 2018.
Both teams are currently experiencing some turmoil. The Grizzlies are dealing with the issues surrounding Ja Morant, while the Pelicans have underwhelmed with Zion Williamson. New Orleans has housed some of the NBA’s best stars of the 21st century, including Chris Paul and Anthony Davis, but neither has stayed with the team for as long.
They have one of the NBA’s most significant disadvantages, being in small-market teams, because they tend to have problems both signing players and keeping stars on the roster. That hasn’t bothered other teams, like the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder, but that’s a result of consistent, shrewd team building. Because the Grizzlies and Pelicans haven’t had the same, their time may be up soon.