The debate over NBA expansion has put Seattle back on the map. While media attention has shifted in recent months toward the NBA Europe project and other league strategic matters, conversations about bringing a franchise back to the city have begun to show signs of life.
According to the Seattle Times, Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson recently held an initial video conference with Commissioner Adam Silver. A brief but significant first contact that opens the door to continuing progress on a process that has been present recurrently for years, even at times when speculation arose about possible relocations of existing franchises.
The governor's office has confirmed that Ferguson grew up attending Seattle SuperSonics games and visiting Lenny Wilkens' campus, a personal connection that now translates into explicit institutional support. According to the governor's communications director, Brionna Aho, the state official has offered his collaboration to formally begin the path toward a potential expansion.
It is not the first time Silver has pointed to Seattle as a priority market. Last December, the commissioner already mentioned both the Washington state city and Las Vegas as possible destinations for future franchises. Still, the scenario is far from being resolved in the short term. The NBA's jump to a 32-team league—or whatever number is ultimately determined—remains conditioned by multiple factors.
Among them, the impact that the sale operations of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have had on the market over the past year and a half, moves that have substantially raised the economic bar for any group interested in entering the league. A context that explains why, despite the initial contacts, the return of the Seattle SuperSonics remains an open possibility, but still a distant one.