Expansion/Re-Alignment

[Moranis]

Aren't teams going to be prone to continue to load manage the last 5 games of the season? Especially top tier teams. How many teams are really ramping up those last few games before the playoffs start?

I think depends on record.  I mean the Pistons at 56-21 and a 4 game lead on Boston who was 52-25 probably would be resting same with Boston who had a 3 game lead on the 49-28 Knicks (basically just beat Knicks and wrap it up). The Knicks though would have the Cavs at 48-29 right on their heels.  That would have been interesting given they'd now have the same schedule to separate that 1 game.  The Hawks and then Raptors or Sixers (whoever won the 3 game series- they split the 4 this year) would also be jostling for position with each other again with the same schedule.  It would be far more interesting to me at least to see how that played out.  Also, be curious to see if the teams tried to tank for playoff position.   Like would New York and Cleveland rather be the 3 or 4 seed.  How would they play those last 5 games?

[SHAQATTACK]

Try a chiropractor

[Roy H.]

The NBA is expected to select the winning bid for ownership of the Las Vegas expansion team in the very near future, with a price of at least $12 billion to $13 billion for the franchise and a new arena, from among three finalist groups -- Nancy Walton Laurie and Bill Laurie; Steve Apostolopoulos and Marc Lasry; and Bill Foley and Jerry Colangelo -- sources told ESPN.

The league, which will hold a formal approval process by the end of December on two expansion teams, is closing on Las Vegas before Seattle for several reasons. Las Vegas has a livelier bidding market with higher offers, and the process consists of the logistics of developing a new arena versus Climate Pledge Arena already being a ready-made home for the Seattle team. And the Las Vegas runners-up also could join the Seattle bid process.

The NBA has targeted as soon as the 2028-29 season for the expansion teams, sources said.

I still don't understand why an expansion team is worth $13 billion.  That's almost as much as the Lakers.

[Redz]

The NBA is expected to select the winning bid for ownership of the Las Vegas expansion team in the very near future, with a price of at least $12 billion to $13 billion for the franchise and a new arena, from among three finalist groups -- Nancy Walton Laurie and Bill Laurie; Steve Apostolopoulos and Marc Lasry; and Bill Foley and Jerry Colangelo -- sources told ESPN.

The league, which will hold a formal approval process by the end of December on two expansion teams, is closing on Las Vegas before Seattle for several reasons. Las Vegas has a livelier bidding market with higher offers, and the process consists of the logistics of developing a new arena versus Climate Pledge Arena already being a ready-made home for the Seattle team. And the Las Vegas runners-up also could join the Seattle bid process.

The NBA has targeted as soon as the 2028-29 season for the expansion teams, sources said.

I still don't understand why an expansion team is worth $13 billion.  That's almost as much as the Lakers.

It?s like an exorbitant initiation fee to get into an exclusive country club.

[gift]

potentially joining the league for the 2028-2029 season? that seems very quick given we don't even have owners for either team at the beginning of the 26-27 season. assuming the new teams will need to have front office and scouting in place next year to prepare for draft/expansion draft/free agents etc, they'll have less than a year to get it together.

[Donoghus]

What's crazy to me is that Vegas wants to build another arena when T-Mobile is only a decade old. 

[aefgogreen]

The NBA is expected to select the winning bid for ownership of the Las Vegas expansion team in the very near future, with a price of at least $12 billion to $13 billion for the franchise and a new arena, from among three finalist groups -- Nancy Walton Laurie and Bill Laurie; Steve Apostolopoulos and Marc Lasry; and Bill Foley and Jerry Colangelo -- sources told ESPN.

The league, which will hold a formal approval process by the end of December on two expansion teams, is closing on Las Vegas before Seattle for several reasons. Las Vegas has a livelier bidding market with higher offers, and the process consists of the logistics of developing a new arena versus Climate Pledge Arena already being a ready-made home for the Seattle team. And the Las Vegas runners-up also could join the Seattle bid process.

The NBA has targeted as soon as the 2028-29 season for the expansion teams, sources said.

I still don't understand why an expansion team is worth $13 billion.  That's almost as much as the Lakers.

I think it includes the cost of a new arena...Having said that, with demand far outweighing supply, I expect the fee itself to hit 10B.