NBA Swing: Is Relocation in the League's Future?

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The NBA’s future growth may not involve adding new teams, but rather relocating current franchises. Despite common rumors focusing on expansion to cities like Seattle, Las Vegas, Louisville, and Mexico City, reports from sources like Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix suggest the league is seriously discussing the relocation of existing teams behind closed doors.

Two Western Conference teams geographically situated in the Eastern U.S. have been consistently named as potential candidates for a move: the Memphis Grizzlies and the New Orleans Pelicans. Moving these two franchises would allow the NBA to place teams in highly desirable new markets, likely Seattle and Las Vegas, while conveniently balancing the league’s conferences.

The Case for Relocating the Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies, currently in their 26th season in Memphis (having previously moved from Vancouver), face a looming deadline with their arena lease and have struggled to translate success into a championship legacy.

Lease Expiration: The Grizzlies’ lease with the FedEx Forum is set to expire after the 2028-29 season.
Renovation Concerns: While Memphis Mayor Paul Young is reportedly in discussions for a new deal, no agreement has been announced. The proposed agreement would include a reported $550 million in renovations, but local funding issues have created community unrest.
Small Market Struggles: Memphis has historically struggled as a small market to retain elite talent. Stars like Pau Gasol and Marc Gasol were eventually traded before becoming key pieces on championship teams elsewhere. It is anticipated that their current superstar, Ja Morant, may face a similar fate by 2029.
Relocation Benefits: A move to a new market like Seattle or Las Vegas would keep the team in the Western Conference, offer more favorable in-conference travel, and is expected to better attract star players to a larger market.

If the Grizzlies relocate, it would be the first NBA team move since the Nets shifted to Brooklyn in 2012.

The Case for Relocating the New Orleans Pelicans

Since moving from Charlotte ahead of the 2002-03 season, the Pelicans franchise has seen a stream of generational talent, but a consistent lack of team success.

Star Departures: Generational talents such as Chris Paul and Anthony Davis spent years in New Orleans before requesting trades to larger markets (Clippers and Lakers, respectively) where they later found championship or long-term success.
Zion Williamson Uncertainty: The team’s current generational star, Zion Williamson, has a concerning history of little team success and numerous missed games due to injury. Now in his sixth season, Williamson has played only 214 career games while missing 268.
Lease Expiration and Population Drop: The Pelicans’ lease with the Smoothie King Center is also set to expire after the 2028-29 season. Compounding the issue, the New Orleans metro area population has seen a significant 24% decrease since 2020, potentially impacting long-term attendance figures.
Questionable Moves and Draft Capital: Recent team decisions, including trading away the team’s unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks, are concerning. With the Pelicans currently 2-6 and tied for the worst record in the West, the Hawks are now positioned to draft near the top of a stacked 2026 class using the Pelicans’ pick.
Relocation Incentives: Relocating to a city like Seattle or Las Vegas would likely provide the same advantages as a Grizzlies move: a bigger market, reduced in-conference travel, and potentially a final motivation for Williamson to re-sign in 2028 before the move is finalized in 2029. Williamson is set to become a free agent in 2028.

Relocation vs. Expansion: The Financial Argument

Relocation is currently seen as the more probable path than league expansion.

Financial Benefit: The primary argument against expansion is that current ownership groups do not want to split revenue among more teams.
New Market Focus: Relocation allows the league to expand its footprint and economic growth into new, vibrant markets (like Seattle and Las Vegas) that are likely to generate higher attendance and local revenue, without diluting the revenue share for existing teams.

As NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has stated that the league is “always looking” at expansion, talks about both relocation and expansion are expected to intensify over the next few years as these critical arena leases approach expiration.