Relocation may become a new way to expand the NBA market, Pelicans are regarded as a popular candidate

NBA President Xiao Hua poured cold water on speculation about the expansion of the army last week. He said that the league is not ready to add new teams until the future development of regional broadcasts are solved.

"If we don't figure out the operating mode of local regional television broadcasting before expanding the army, we are dereliction of duty," Xiao Hua told reporters during the board meeting. "The idea of 'putting a team in a city where we have not yet done business and then saying "you have to find a way to broadcast the game to local fans" is completely unreasonable."

For a long time, expansion has been considered almost a foregone conclusion, and cities such as Seattle and Las Vegas have been regarded as popular candidates. But Xiao Hua's remarks show that for now, the alliance pays more attention to the stability of the media field before promoting market expansion.

Although the door to expand the army may be temporarily closed, relocation may become a potential way to enhance the team's value and open up new markets.

The Ringer reporter Bill Simmons proposed in a recent podcast that the Pelicans are the most likely candidate for relocation, and the reasons he listed include the expiration of the team's 2029 lease and the long-term low-level enthusiasm of fans. "It's not a success for more than 50 years to run professional basketball in New Orleans. If someone buys the team, moves it to Seattle and pays all the relocation costs... that seems to be the direction it is going."

Simmons also pointed out that Las Vegas, Mexico City and Nashville are potential destinations, and mentioned that the relocation does not require the league to allocate future media rights among more team owners, which is an important factor amid increasing broadcast uncertainty.

In the 2024-25 season, the Pelicans' average home audience was only slightly more than 17,100, ranking 22nd in the NBA. In terms of field performance, since its debut in 2002-03 season, the team has made it to the playoffs only nine times in 23 seasons. The New Orleans Pelicans won only 2 rounds of the playoff series and never broke through the second round.

The team has a winning rate of 46.1% so far, with a playoff record of 22 wins and 37 losses. Although the Pelicans have stars such as Paul, Anthony Davis, Zion, etc., it is difficult for the team to achieve continuous success and maintain high attention from fans.