Adam Silver Says NBA Expansion is Not 'Automatic,' Will Be On Agenda at Owners Meeting

NBA commissioner Adam Silver remained noncommittal on the topic of expansion when speaking to reporters ahead of the NBA Finals.

Silver said the league and team owners "should be exploring it" but that it isn't "automatic." He added he intends to "take the temperature of the room" when he meets with owners in July:

The NBA last expanded in 2004-05 with the Charlotte Bobcats. The 20-year gap since then contrasts quite a bit with how the league had grown before that. Six teams were added between 1988 and 1995.

Plenty of fans will argue the Association is overdue to welcome a 31st and perhaps 32nd team, with Seattle and Las Vegas the most frequently cited destinations.

Thanks in part to the NBA's efforts to grow the game globally, there's more talent flowing into the league than ever. From that standpoint, the pool is seemingly deep enough to expand without diluting the on-court product too much.

But the determining factor is whether owners believe expansion will be good business.

Last summer, Silver said the issue was being put on the back burner with the new media rights deals being finalized. When addressing expansion as a broad concept, he explained the finances aren't as straightforward as casual observers might think.

"Sometimes it seems as if we're printing money when we expand, but actually it's no different than selling equity in your business," he said. "So I think there needs to be a fair amount of modeling with the league office, working with existing owners and really thinking through the long-term prospects. Again, not just economically but also (there's) potential for dilution of talent."

When the TV deals were completed, ESPN's Tim Bontemps reported at the time that expansion was considered to be "one large step closer" to becoming a reality.

Based on Silver's newest remarks, there are still a lot of discussions to be had.