RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The NBA is in expansion mode.
As well as the would-be franchises in Vegas and Seattle reportedly attracting bids of up to $10bn, commissioner Adam Silver wants the NBA to expand its horizons into Europe.
Across the Atlantic, NBA Europe franchises – and there are going to be at least 12 of them – are fetching bids of at least $500m, potentially up to and beyond $1bn.
There are kinks to iron out there, but Silver sees NBA Europe as his legacy project. One way or another, it is going to happen.
With a 2027 launch date targeted for NBA Europe , the Vegas franchise likely to launch in the 2028-29 season and Seattle soon after, it could be a very lucrative few years for the league.
In the case of NBA Europe , the party line is that the vast majority of the competition-wide economics will be reinvested in the continent-hopping league over the first decade. But even in the most charitable of scenarios, existing NBA owners will profit at some point from the initiative.
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When it comes to domestic expansion franchises , those fees are pretty much reinvested evenly across the NBA’s 30 owners. It’s the dividend to end all dividends.
As for players and agents, expansion fees fall outside the scope of the existing collective bargaining agreement – although they would dearly like to change that.
NBPA would love expansion fees to be included in BRI
Speaking to the Boston Globe, NBPA Executive Director David Kelly said players are “quite interested in NBA Europe because it could serve as another revenue stream for league owners that does not include the players.
“My issue with NBA Europe is the fact that it’s outside of [basketball related income], and I think it should be inside of BRI.
“We look at expansion fees also being outside of BRI is something that, you know, historically has been the case. We don’t think it should be the case. We don’t think it’s fair. Now, of course, fairness has nothing to do with the negotiation. The CBA is leverage, but that’s definitely something we would want to address depending on when expansion teams come in.”
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