Getty
NBA expansion could lead to the return of the Seattle Sonics
The NBA is moving closer to expansion, with the league set to vote later this month on whether to begin exploring adding teams in Las Vegas and Seattle.
Expansion news has largely been met with excitement, with fans buzzing about the potential return of the SuperSonics and the prospects of a Las Vegas franchise.
Basketball icon Tracy McGrady, however, is less than enthused by the idea.
The Raptors legend shared why he believes the league is not equipped to expand on his podcast Cousins, which he co-hosts with Vince Carter.
“We got 30 teams. We don’t have the talent to be trying to start two more teams,” McGrady said. “Can we take away two teams and add two teams? I’m saying keep it at 30. The talent to me is down, bro!”
“I’m all for trying to increase the revenue… I’m just like, we have 30 teams, got a lot of players, 450, I believe. Maybe more now. We don’t have the talent to be trying to start two more teams. I just don’t think we have the talent to start two more teams. Now can we take away two teams & add two teams? To still stay at 30. I’m saying keep it at 30.”
McGrady reiterated his take on expansion on Thursday in an interview with Dan Patrick.
When asked if there is enough leaguewide talent to support expansion, McGrady offered a blunt assessment.
“Have you seen the Washington Wizards play? Did you see what Bam [Adebayo] did to them the other night?”
“We don’t need more of that,” McGrady added. “I see bad basketball around the NBA. The product we are seeing is bad.”
Team Owners Will Vote on NBA Expansion in 2026
GettyTeam owners will vote on league expansion in 2026, eyeing Seattle and Vegas as destinations
Although McGrady prefers to keep the league at 30 teams, expansion seems likely.
The NBA will hold a vote at the board of governors meetings on March 24-25 to explore adding expansion teams exclusively in Seattle and Las Vegas.
Should the vote favor expansion, the new franchises would target the 2028-29 season to begin play, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“I think Seattle and Las Vegas are two incredible cities,” Silver said in December. “Obviously, we had a team in Seattle that had great success. We have a WNBA team here in Las Vegas in the Aces. We’ve been playing the summer league here for 20 years. We’re playing our Cup games here, so we’re very familiar with this market.”
Industry executives project proposals in the $7-10 billion range for each team and estimate that both markets would be among the NBA‘s top eight revenue generators.
The league will be able to concentrate on Las Vegas and Seattle and hold a bidding process for the teams after this first vote. To complete the transactions to 32 teams, there may be a final vote later in the year. Twenty-three of the thirty governors must vote in favor in both rounds.
A growing number of owners are believed to support expansion because of the long-term revenue growth for the league from the Las Vegas and Seattle markets, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Jalyn Smoot Jalyn Smoot is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has nearly 10 years of experience in local and national media, including print and digital. He previously covered the Texas Rangers for MLB.com and the Philadelphia 76ers for Metro Philadelphia. Smoot is a St. Louis born writer that now resides in Dallas. More about Jalyn Smoot
More Heavy on NBA
Loading more stories