The NBA continues to inch closer to expansion, with recent news providing a big update about one of the two potential new teams. The NBA is expected to name Seattle as an expansion team, and ownership groups are already making bids, according to NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
While the league initially seemed to be hoping for $4 billion per expansion team, potential ownership bids are already skyrocketing. A Las Vegas expansion team could net the league around $13 billion, while Seattle is expected to draw $10 billion, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.
Those are absolutely wild numbers considering that the Los Angeles Lakers recently sold for $10 billion, while Las Vegas and Seattle could fetch a similar amount, and perhaps not even include the cost of a new stadium.
The price tag for Seattle NBA expansion may be a red flag
The franchise cost of a Las Vegas and Seattle expansion team could be a double-edged sword for the NBA. Yes, NBA owners would likely love the billions flooding into the NBA, but it could have a dramatically negative impact on the league.
Instead of having a principle owner and face of the franchise, there will be more ownership groups with competing interests. The NBA is seeing franchise valuations skyrocket, and owners who have no idea how to run an NBA team are the only ones that can afford to buy one.
That's a massive red flag and could spell trouble down the road. We've already seen the Los Angeles Clippers' Steve Ballmer get fined and suspended for salary cap circumvention, and he could be considered the first of the NBA's modern owners.
Larger NBA team price tags may mean more questionable owners
Ballmer bought the Clippers for a then staggering two billion dollars back in 2014. Since then, his time as owner has been questionable at best. We may see more questionable owners join the ranks, and that could make it tougher for teams to rebuild or remain contenders.
It could also make it tougher for Las Vegas and Seattle to find their footing after officially joining the NBA. Ultimately, adding two new teams to the mix brings plenty of excitement and more eyeballs for the NBA.
However, the massive price tags could result in more questionable ownership and more run franchises. We'll have to see how that works out, but fans should be skeptical.
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