Hold on, Adam Silver said what now?
The NBA commissioner informed league owners that Seattle is no longer a “lock” for expansion?
That’s the word according to a new report from ESPN, and if you’re a Seattleite, you just spit out your $9 oat-milk latte.
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Last March, all 30 of the NBA’s owners voted in favor of exploring expansion in Seattle and Las Vegas. The thought was that this would finally lead to a Sonics return after the team left the Emerald City for Oklahoma City in 2008.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst was on television telling Seattle fans to get excited. But Friday, Windhorst’s latest article left fans exasperated.
The acclaimed NBA reporter wrote that while Silver is a “full-go” on expanding to Vegas, Seattle is far from a guarantee. The commissioner reportedly mentioned Mexico City as an expansion alternative in a meeting with the board of governors last month.
This didn’t officially break any promises, but it did seem to violate an unwritten understanding.
It was no accident that the aforementioned owners’ vote named Vegas and Seattle exclusively. The former is one of the world’s foremost entertainment capitals, and the latter has a starving fan base and state-of-the-art venue in Climate Pledge Arena.
Just as notably, One Roof Sports — the group spearheading the Sonics’ return — recently landed a billionaire backer in Melinda French Gates. Done deal, right?
Not so much.
At the heart of all this is Silver’s attempt to increase franchise values across the league. And right now, the expectation is that bids for a new team in Vegas could exceed $10 billion. Seattle’s bids, meanwhile, are expected to be substantially lower, perhaps because the city already has an NBA-ready arena.
Prospective owners don’t just want revenue from ticket sales and television contracts. They want the money that comes with controlling an arena, too. Luxury suites and premium seating. Concessions and merchandise. Sponsorships and advertising. Naming rights, concerts and other events.
But an ownership group outside One Roof Sports wouldn’t necessarily have access to those revenue streams without negotiating a deal with the arena’s operators. And building another venue would add billions to an already enormous investment — assuming the city would even approve a second NBA arena.
That gives One Roof a significant advantage over competing Seattle bidders and little incentive to offer anything close to $10 billion.
But Silver has leverage of his own. And that’s where Mexico City comes in.
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By floating a city south of the border, Silver is saying that the league can go elsewhere. Could it just be posturing to drive up Seattle’s bids? Yeah. But Silver has made no promises to Seattle — nor has he committed to adding two teams at once, assuming he adds two at all.
This, of course, is driving some people in the Emerald City bonkers. As former Seattle Post-Intelligencer sports columnist Jim Moore posted on X above a picture of Silver: “This s—t is laughable. It never ends. When does Seattle finally say f—k off to this guy?”
Understandable reaction. Sonics fans have been jerked around for 18 years. But Silver has a job to do — dirty as it may seem.
His responsibility isn’t to make things right with Seattle. It’s to get the best possible deal for the league’s 30 existing owners. And if invoking Mexico City helps him squeeze another billion or two out of a Seattle bidder, don’t expect him to apologize.
Just don’t expect Sonics fans to forgive him, either.