While there are numerous cities one could envision housing an NBA team, functionally there are three which keep coming up as likely landing spots. Let’s dive into the viability of these cities, and imagine a scenario where the league expands to 32 teams, matching the NFL and NHL.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver put the topic of expansion on the back burner until the league settled its collective bargaining agreement (completed in 2023) and reached a new national broadcast deal (finalized in 2024).

The idea of NBA expansion sounds promising on paper, but the league may lack the necessary momentum to expand beyond its current.