NBA should expand to Seattle and Las Vegas within 15 years

Wanna hear a funny joke?

Seattle still doesn't have an NBA franchise.

One of the most savage middle fingers in the history of sports, the Sonics drafted Kevin Durant in 2007, gave their fans a brief glimpse of the best scorer this century, then hot-tailed it to Oklahoma City six days after drafting Russell Westbrook.

When you look back at the whole fiasco, you can't blame the Sonics' owners for moving on. KeyArena was the smallest one in the league, so they were losing a solid amount of cash everyday they didn't have a new arena. Howard Schultz, the Starbucks owner who sold the team to the OKC group, tried to rescind the sale but the NBA shot it down.

Still, no fan should have to go through that.

11 years later, the great city of Seattle is still without an NBA squad. It's not like the Sonics didn't have a fan base--they absolutely did. They had a great history. They had a championship. They'd had Hall of Famers. They weren't some doormat franchise with nothing to offer. That's the sad part.

The Sonics won the title in '79 with Gus Williams, Dennis Johnson, and Jack Sikma along with coach Lenny Wilkens (who at one time held the record for all-time wins). In the 90's, they were perennial contenders with Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Detlef Schrempf, Nate McMillan, Sam Perkins, and that whole crew. They made the Finals in '96, but had the misfortune of running into the greatest player of all time. After trading Payton to Milwaukee for Ray Allen in 2003, the Sonics' fortunes began to take a turn for the worse.

But now, with the NHL expanding to Vegas last year and then Seattle in 2021, you have to wonder if the NBA is next. Of the four major leagues, it's without a doubt the most global game. The talent level is as high as its been in the 21st century, it's on the brink of matching the NFL's influence, and it's clearly the favorite league of the younger generations.

A new arena is in the works for the Seattle NHL team, so there's no longer an excuse for the Sonics to stay dormant. All the Seattle team records in Oklahoma City would be swapped back to the Sonics, similar to how the Bobcats got the old Charlotte Hornets record books from New Orleans after MJ changed the name back (still his greatest achievement as an owner).

When the NBA finally does good by Seattle, Las Vegas should be primed for a franchise soon after. Almost nobody thought that a pro sports team could work in Sin City--the Golden Knights proved them all wrong.

See, T-Mobile Arena is already there, so Vegas immediately has an advantage over other cities looking to get a team. That's the only reason the Colts came to Indianapolis, and it could be the reason Vegas gets an NBA team.

The Knights' unparalleled success in their inaugural season caught the eye of the NFL, so the Raiders are moving to Vegas within the next couple seasons. Not only were the Knights competitive on the ice (they made the Stanley Cup Finals), but they were a major financial success for the NHL.

According to Forbes, Vegas was the fourth most popular road team in the league last season, with arenas reaching a 98.6% average capacity when the Knights came to town. I'd be willing to bet that a Vegas NBA team would put up similar numbers.

There's just too much money to be made in Vegas. No disrespect to the NHL (I love me some hockey), but if they can make an absurd amount of money there as the least popular pro league, imagine how much the NBA would rake in.

*And let's not forget: the NBA already has a big presence in Vegas. They were ahead of the curve on the sports betting legalization, and the Summer League has been there since 2004.

Vegas doesn't lack confidence, either. Take a listen to this video, where Mayor Carolyn Goodman outright says "we're gonna have an NBA [team]".

The only problem with Seattle and Vegas getting franchises would be the disparity in the conferences. I present a simple fix: move the Grizzlies to the Eastern Conference. The only reason they're in the East is because, once upon a time, they were in Vancouver. Problem solved.

Look, I think the NBA is booming right now, and it's only going to get bigger. Expansion is inevitable. I don't want to see another fan base get screwed out of a team, and that's really the bottom line here. We know Seattle's fans are some of the best out there, and Vegas has proven themselves to be a hardcore sports town after last year's Golden Knights run.

Before anything else, we need to figure out that Vegas team's name. The Gamblers? The Caesars? The Flamingos?

Image credits: Sportskeeda, Populous

YouTube channel: VintageDawkins, SPORTSNET