Adam Silver Talks Expansion, TV Deals, Blazers Sale, More
Following the NBA’s Board of Governors meetings in Las Vegas this week, league commissioner Adam Silver stated in a press conference that the idea of expansion is being formally explored, per Kevin Pelton of ESPN. Still, Silver offered plenty of caveats before committing to a timeline.
“A lot of analysis still needs to be done and nothing’s been predetermined one way or another, and without any specific timeline,” Silver said. “We’re going to be as thorough as possible and look at all the potential issues.”
Silver had previously indicated that, after the league negotiated its new media rights deals in 2024, expansion would be studied more thoroughly. A year after the deal was agreed upon, adding teams is at last on the table.
“We’re now engaging in this in-depth analysis, something we weren’t prepared to do before,” Silver said. “But beyond that, as I said, it’s really day one of that analysis. In terms of price, potential timeline — too early to say. And again, I think that also assumes the outcome of this analysis. It is truly a complicated issue.”
The new media deals — splitting broadcasting rights between ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock, and Amazon — will begin during the 2025/26 season. While the 11-year agreements with those partners have locked in the league’s national broadcasting plans for more than a decade, the long-term local regional broadcast rights for teams remain an area of concern, the commissioner cautioned.
“We would be malpracticing if we didn’t figure out how local regional television is going to work before expanding,” Silver said. “The notion that we would hand over a team into a city where we’re not currently operating and say, ‘You’re going to have to figure out how you’re going to distribute your games to your local fans’ doesn’t make sense.”
Silver added that the impending sales of two top NBA franchises, the Lakers and Celtics, for a combined valuation of $16.1 billion, have helped affect the league’s value, even with local TV deals being so tenuous, notes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
“There’s no question that those purchase prices have an impact on any economic analysis of teams, so it doesn’t necessarily complicate it more, but it certainly is an indication of value,” Silver said. “And one other factor we have to look at: we’re trying to think what is the value of expansion, what does it mean to dilute the existing equity, and how additive is this potentially to the league by adding an additional team.”
Another NBA franchise, the Trail Blazers, is currently up for sale. As Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link) relays, Silver made it clear he wouldn’t want a new owner to relocate the franchise.
“It is our preference that that team remains in Portland,” Silver said. “We’ve had great success in Portland over the years. I don’t have a specific update on the process, but I know it is underway and there are groups that are actively engaged with the estate. One of the factors there is that the city of Portland likely needs a new arena, so that will be part of the challenge for any new ownership group coming in. But it would certainly be our preference for that team to remain in Portland.”
Numerous NBA Owners Don’t Want Expansion In Near Future
Expansion might not be coming soon after all, if certain NBA owners get their wish. There is not overwhelming momentum to immediately expand beyond the current 30 teams, Mike Vorkunov and David Aldridge of The Athletic report.
The league’s Board of Governors are meeting on Tuesday and expansion is one of the topics anticipated to be discussed.
As one might expect, the lack of enthusiasm among some owners regarding expansion is due to money. The league’s new 11-year, $76 billion media rights deal begins next season and several owners would rather begin collecting and splitting that new revenue among the existing teams, rather than giving a share or shares to incoming franchises.
Each current team is set to collect hundreds of millions of dollars over the life of the new rights deal, which will be a boon to franchises who have lost many millions in revenue due to the collapse of the regional sports networks. Adding two new teams within the next year or two would dilute the potential revenue from the national TV networks over the next decade, The Athletic duo notes.
However, there is some incentive for the current teams to bring in new teams. With valuations of current franchises continuing to rise, expansion fees are certain to go well beyond the previous projections of at least $5 billion per new franchise.
Seattle, which lost its franchise to Oklahoma City, remains a top candidate for a new or potentially relocated team. Las Vegas has also been prominently mentioned as a prime candidate to get a franchise.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver indicated last month that expansion may not be as much of a priority for the league as some fans are hoping, saying that it’s not “automatic” that the league will decide to add more teams. Silver cautioned at the time that there are concerns among the current owners about bringing in more partners to divide up revenues.
Dell Curry, Brent Barry, Kevin Harlan Joining Amazon’s NBA Coverage
Amazon Prime Video continues to fill out its broadcasting team ahead of its first season of NBA coverage in 2025/26, with Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports reporting that Dell Curry is joining Amazon’s coverage as an analyst, while Richard Deitsch of The Athletic says Brent Barry is coming aboard as a game analyst and Kevin Harlan is being hired as a play-by-play man.
Curry, the father of NBA superstar Stephen Curry, has been a color commentator on Hornets broadcasts since 2009. McCarthy speculates that Amazon’s deal with Dell could be a “preliminary chess move” to recruit his son if Steph decides to go into broadcasting himself after he retires as a player.
Barry has spent time in the Spurs’ front office and most recently served as a Suns assistant coach under Mike Budenholzer in 2024/25, but he has plenty of broadcasting experience as well, having previously worked as an analyst for Turner Sports and NBA TV from 2013-18.
Harlan’s voice will be familiar to NBA fans, as he has been calling games on Turner Sports for the last three decades. He’ll continue to call NFL games for CBS Sports too while working with Amazon for NBA broadcasts beginning this fall.
Amazon Prime Video’s broadcasting roster will also reportedly include analysts Dwyane Wade, Steve Nash, Candace Parker, Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, Stan Van Gundy, and Udonis Haslem, as well as studio host Taylor Rooks, sideline reporter Cassidy Hubbarth, and play-by-play announcers Ian Eagle and Michael Grady.
Amazon is expected to formally announce its full NBA coverage team soon, per McCarthy. The company will be one of three that broadcasts NBA games nationally for the next 11 years, along with Disney (ABC/ESPN) and NBC.
Grant Hill Joins NBC As NBA Game Analyst
Hall of Famer Grant Hill is the latest former NBA star to join NBC as a broadcaster for the network’s coverage of the league for the upcoming 2025/26 season. According to a press release, Hill will be a game analyst for NBC and Peacock.
“I’m incredibly excited to join NBC Sports as part of their NBA coverage. The NBA has been such a meaningful part of my life, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue sharing the game I love with fans across the country,” Hill said in a statement. “To be part of NBC’s return to the NBA — a network with such a rich basketball legacy — and its debut on Peacock is truly an honor. I can’t wait to get started this fall.”
A seven-time All-Star as a player, Hill suited up for the Pistons, Magic, Suns, and Clippers from 1994-2013 and became a broadcaster following his retirement.
According to Sarah Jean Maher and Richard Deitsch of The Athletic, Hill will continue to work with TNT Sports as a college basketball analyst after signing with NBC. He’ll have plenty on his plate going forward — outside of his broadcasting work, he’s the managing director of the U.S. men’s basketball team and holds minority stakes in a handful of sports franchises, including the NBA’s Hawks.
Hill will join Reggie Miller and Jamal Crawford as game analysts for NBC as the NBA returns to the network next season. Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle will be NBC’s top play-by-play men, with Carmelo Anthony and Vince Carter joining host Maria Taylor for the studio show. All-time great Michael Jordan has also been announced as a special contributor.
And-Ones: Taylor, Parker, Avdija, Power Rankings
Maria Taylor has officially been named NBC Sports’ lead studio host for the NBA and WNBA, according to an NBC Sports press release.
NBC reacquired the rights to NBA games in an 11-year agreement with the league last summer and will begin its coverage in 2025/26. Taylor will host NBC Sports’ NBA studio programs on Sunday and Tuesday nights alongside analysts Carmelo Anthony and Vince Carter.
Taylor has been the lead host of Football Night in America since 2022. Taylor also served as a host for the Tokyo, Beijing, and Paris Olympics and numerous other major events.
Here’s more from around the international basketball world:
- Jabari Parker, the No. 2 pick of the 2014 draft, will play for a different European team next season. Parker and FC Barcelona have mutually agreed on an early termination of their contract, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net relays. Parker is expected to stay in the EuroLeague and join Partizan Mozzart Bet for the 2025/26 season. He averaged 13.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.8 steals per game over 39 appearances last season in the EuroLeague.
- Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija is among 20 players on the preliminary roster announced by the Israeli Basketball Association for the EuroBasket tournament this summer, according to Askounis. Israel is scheduled to compete in Group D of the preliminary round, facing Iceland, Poland, France, Belgium, and Slovenia in Katowice from Aug. 28-Sept. 4. Avdija made his debut for the Israeli national team in 2019.
- Not surprisingly, the champion Thunder are at the top of The Athletic’s and ESPN’s power rankings for next season. The Pacers, Knicks, Timberwolves and Cavaliers round out The Athletic’s top five. ESPN has a much different top five, going with the Timberwolves at No. 2, followed by the Nuggets, Cavs and Rockets.
And-Ones: LeBron, Amazon, Local Broadcasts, Top FAs
Lakers forward LeBron James, who recently starred in an ad for Amazon Prime and has been doing a press tour ahead of the company’s Prime Day promotion next month, could end up joining Prime Video’s coverage of the NBA following the end of his playing career, sources tell Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports.
According to McCarthy, ABC/ESPN and NBC would also almost certainly have interest in James if he wants to get into broadcasting, but LeBron’s growing business relationship with Amazon could give Prime the upper hand. The four-time MVP has previously criticized ESPN’s and TNT’s coverage of the NBA for being too negative, but spoke glowingly about his expectations for Amazon in an interview with Tony Maglio of The Hollywood Reporter.
“(Prime Video’s team of analysts) has so much knowledge and (so many) people that know the game and appreciate the game and talk about the game in such a positive manner,” James said. “So, I think Amazon Prime Video, they’re gonna do a great job showcasing our sport; (the talent) love(s) our sport. Great intellect, great commentary, great insight — I really look forward to that. And like I said, those guys that they have signed up for it, they’re gonna do great things.”
James’ former teammate Dwyane Wade and podcast partner Steve Nash are among the Amazon Prime analysts he singled out for praise, along with Dirk Nowitzki and Candace Parker.
In that interview with Maglio, James was also asked about his stance that he’s unlikely to play in the 2028 Olympics for Team USA — he made it clear his position on that subject hasn’t changed.
“Me being able to support Team USA for the rest of my life — that’s for sure. But me actually going on and playing, I don’t see it happening,” James said. “I’ve given everything that I have, and I will always be appreciative and loyal and dedicated to Team USA and USA Basketball.”
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Although the NBA reached 11-year media rights deals with Disney (ABC/ESPN), Amazon, and NBC that will go into effect later this year for national broadcasts, the outlook for game broadcasts in local markets is murkier. Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic explores that subject, noting that the NBA has considered the idea of introducing a local version of League Pass, though that likely wouldn’t happen until 2026/27 at the earliest.
- Keith Smith of Spotrac has published his list of this year’s top 50 NBA free agents, while Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report has projected possible contracts and landing spots for 30 of the best players on the market. John Hollinger of The Athletic, meanwhile, wraps up his look at the 2025 free agent class by focusing on the top power forwards and centers. Our own top-50 free agent list will be published on Monday, after the NBA Finals conclude.
- ESPN’s Brian Windhorst takes a look at five storylines and 12 players who could shape the 2025 NBA offseason, starting with the Kevin Durant trade sweepstakes and what happens with Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee.
And-Ones: ESPN Broadcasters, Inside The NBA, Small Forward Market, Key Dates
The current top ABC/ESPN broadcasting trio of Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson might not work together beyond the NBA Finals, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reports.
That grouping hasn’t meshed like the vaunted trio of Breen, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy — the latter two were let go by ESPN during a series of cost-cutting moves in 2023. The network will reevaluate its current roster of broadcasters after the Finals, Marchand says, adding that ESPN intends on re-signing Jefferson, though the analyst has also drawn interest from Amazon Prime Video.
Burke’s spot is not guaranteed for next season, according to Marchand, but Breen is locked in as the top play-by-play man. Tim Legler has supporters among the network’s top executives and could become a option to join the No. 1 broadcasting group.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- TNT’s celebrated “Inside the NBA” show will move to ESPN next season but Charles Barkley doesn’t intend to finish out his 10-year contract, Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports relays. Barkley has seven years left on the $210MM contract he signed with TNT and said on the Dan Patrick Show he only wants to work two more years. “Inside the NBA” will continue to have an extended post-game show and will also lead ESPN’s pregame and halftime programming.
- The free agent small forward pool doesn’t have an All-Star level talent, according to Spotrac contributor Keith Smith. The “starter tier” is headed by Khris Middleton and Kelly Oubre, who hold options on their contracts. Restricted free agent Justin Edwards and unrestricted FA Taurean Prince round out that group.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks lists all the key offseason dates, beginning with the draft’s early entry entrant withdrawal deadline for non-college players on June 15. The other important date this month prior to the draft is the start of negotiations between teams and their own free agents, which occurs the day after the Finals conclude.
Southeast Notes: Hornets, Wizards, Giannis, Heat, Isaac
The Hornets were one of the finalists in the draft lottery but wound up with the fourth pick, dropping one spot from their pre-lottery position. However, Charlotte’s front office and coach put a positive spin on the outcome.
“Up until this moment, everyone just (had) a ton of anxiety, just waiting to see where we would be picking,” president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson told the Charlotte Observer’s Roderick Boone (subscription required). “But now that we know we are picking four, it helps clear some things up in conversations with other teams and continue the process as we are here with the draft prospects at the draft combine. So we are really excited.”
Hornets head coach Charles Lee expressed similar feelings.
“Excitement, clarity,” he said. “I think that this whole time, you are sitting and (wondering) what pick do you get? But I know talking to Jeff, talking to (assistant GM) Dotun (Akinwale) and the entire front office. They’ve talked about how deep of a draft class this is.I think they have a lot of the intangibles, in terms of great work ethic and great competitiveness, and they understand the team game and what it’s going to take to really impact winning at a high level. So, I look forward to kind of getting into the weeds with Dotun, and Jeff and the front office, and figuring out who is that next pick to continue to help us to build. ”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- The Wizards had miserable lottery luck, falling from No. 2 to No. 6. “We started the day with zero, and we walked away with six. So that’s the mindset we have coming in,” general manager Will Dawkins told Varun Shankar of the Washington Post. “We gained the sixth pick this year, and we also have 18,” he said. “So time to get back to work with our scouts.” The latter pick was the first-rounder acquired from the Grizzlies ahead of the trade deadline. Dawkins is apparently open for business if some team wants to move up in the draft or if the Wizards chose to seek a higher pick by packaging both of theirs. “We’ll look to move … but we’re very comfortable staying where we’re at,” Dawkins said.
- Could the Hawks be a dark-horse candidate to pull off a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal? Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution believes the franchise should pull out all the stops to make that happen. Cunningham anticipates that the Hawks could offer the Bucks two of their three top players — Trae Young, Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels — plus their two first-round picks this season (Nos. 13 and 22) and up to three more first-round picks through the 2032 draft.
- The Heat aren’t going anywhere — at least in terms of their local broadcasts. They have reached a multiyear agreement with FanDuel Sports Network to remain on FanDuel Sports Network Sun, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets.
- Magic forward Jonathan Isaac appeared in 71 games, the second-most of his career, but he was far from satisfied with his season. His playing time was spotty, partly due to his offensive struggles. He shot 41.4 percent overall and 25.8 percent on threes. Isaac believes he needs improve his stamina, he told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “Definitely inconsistent,” he said. “I started to feel a little better towards the end of the season, started to feel a little lighter, a little more agile. So, I’m taking that into the summer to just focus on my game, focus on really getting in shape, shedding some weight and kind of getting back to where I was before.” Isaac has three years left on his contract.
Vince Carter Joins NBC Sports As Studio Analyst
Longtime NBA star Vince Carter has been hired by NBC Sports and will join the network as a studio analyst on NBC and Peacock this fall, according to an official announcement.
Carter, who set a league record by spending 22 seasons in the NBA, was an eight-time All-Star, a Rookie of the Year, a dunk contest champion, and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024. Since his retirement as a player in 2020, he has spent time working as an analyst for both ESPN and Turner Sports.
According to NBC’s announcement, the plan is to have Carter be part of NBC’s studio show for one or more nights per week. He’s expected to work frequently alongside fellow Hall-of-Famer Carmelo Anthony.
“I could not be more excited and appreciative to have the opportunity to be a part of the historic return of the NBA to NBC and now Peacock,” Carter said in a statement. “I am truly looking forward to joining Melo in the studio and the rest of the broadcast team overall, as we embark on bringing NBA fans best-in-class coverage of the league they love.”
NBC Sports, which is regaining broadcast rights to NBA games for the 2025/26 season, is slowly filling out its game and studio broadcast teams. In addition to hiring Carter and Anthony in studio analyst roles, NBC has brought on Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle as its top play-by-play announcers, Jamal Crawford and Reggie Miller as game analysts, and Michael Jordan as a special contributor.
Michael Jordan Will Be Special Contributor To NBC’s NBA Coverage
NBC Sports has added another Hall of Famer to its basketball lineup, announcing in a press release that Michael Jordan will serve as a special contributor when the NBA returns to the network this fall.
“I am so excited to see the NBA back on NBC,” Jordan said. “The NBA on NBC was a meaningful part of my career, and I’m excited about being a special contributor to the project. I’m looking forward to seeing you all when the NBA on NBC launches this October.”
No further details are provided about what Jordan’s job will entail, but his presence is sure to attract attention as NBC resumes covering the NBA. The league reached an 11-year agreement with NBC as part of its latest media rights deal.
“A legendary addition to our team! We’re thrilled to welcome Michael Jordan as a special contributor to the NBA on NBC and Peacock,” the network declared in a Twitter post that includes a brief video of Jordan from his playing days.
Jordan, who won six NBA titles with the Bulls during the 1990s, is recognized as one of the greatest players in NBA history. He’s a five-time MVP, a six-time Finals MVP, a 14-time All-Star, a 10-time scoring champion and a nine-time member of the All-Defensive first team.
Jordan was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 and won two gold medals with the U.S. Olympic team. His popularity played a large role in the growth of basketball as a worldwide sport.
After retirement, Jordan became the first former player to own an NBA team, buying a controlling interest in the Charlotte franchise in 2010 before selling his majority stake in 2023. He’s also a successful businessman with the Jordan Brand, a division of Nike, and has been active in philanthropy, serving as Make-A-Wish’s Chief Wish Ambassador since 2008.
Jordan is the latest high-profile addition to the NBC lineup, which also includes former players Carmelo Anthony, Reggie Miller and Jamal Crawford.
“Michael’s legacy both on and off the court speaks for itself,” said NBC Sports President Rick Cordella. “We’re incredibly proud to have him join our coverage.”