Professional sports continue to develop rapidly in the modern era. For example, the MLB implemented a pitch clock this season, speeding up the game by forcing players to remove unnecessary adage between pitches. For a game like baseball, which has remained largely the same for hundreds of years, a change like that was refreshing and rare. However, in the NBA, Commissioner Adam Silver is always looking for new ways to make the game more engaging and generate more revenue. Most recently, we saw that willingness to implement change by adding the Play-In Tournament in 2020 and the new In-Season Tournament a few weeks ago.
There have been rumors of the NBA adding a 31st franchise or relocating an existing one for a while. It’s unlikely that the NBA relocates a team, though, due to the cost ranging upwards of a few billion dollars. However, a league expansion is going to happen, according to Adam Silver.
“It’s inevitable that we’ll expand,” Siver told ESPN in 2020. “There is a rebuilt Key Arena. There’s no doubt there’s enormous support [in Seattle], so at the right time, the team owners will turn back to that issue.”
With all the changes happening right now, it would be foolish not to think that the NBA always has its finger on the pulse of a possible expansion. It seems like everyone would love to see a team back in Emerald City after the Oklahoma City Thunder ownership moved the Seattle Supersonics in 2007. However, Vegas and St. Louis have also been mentioned as possibilities. Presuming that hypothetical expansion comes in two of those three cities, it is likely that the NBA will be adding another Western Conference team. This would lead to an existing team needing to switch Conferences, something I believe should have happened quite some time ago for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Looking at a map of all 30 NBA teams, one thing should jump out to you: The Timberwolves are isolated. Normally, the point of having divisions in sports is to limit travel and allow for more meaningful rivalries. While the latter of that intention is true for Minnesota, being in the Northwest division – which is central in the West – is not beneficial.
The Wolves have to travel more than any other team in the league. It’s not unusual for Minnesota to have back-to-back games on different ends of the country. From the looks of it, when the Timberwolves became a franchise in 1989, the NBA needed a Northwest division team and decided to throw the Wolves in the mix. That usually happens to expansion franchises. However, the Toronto Raptors had their inaugural season in 1995. They were the first team to be located out of the United States, and the NBA placed them in the Atlantic Division – locating them in close proximity to the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and Boston Celtics.
If Minnesota was to move East, they could join the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, and Cleveland Cavilers in the Central Division. Not only would this limit travel, but it would also spark some new rivalries between players and fans. The possible “border battle” with the Bucks would be a lot of fun, especially if they met in the playoffs. Fans could drive or take a short flight to Milwaukee or Chicago for road games – leading to more revenue for the NBA. Which, as we all know, is the driving force behind any major decision.
Another reason fans have typically wanted to see Minnesota join the Eastern Conference is due to the discrepancy in talent between conferences. The West has been good recently because of the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Houston Rockets. However, the talent now is much more spread out because the NBA is becoming deeper every season. Teams can no longer take games off against certain opponents. Last year, the Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers beat the Wolves.
Minnesota has developed some rivalries during its 34 years in the Western Conference. Think back to those battles against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, and, more recently, the Denver Nuggets. The only problem? OKC is the closest arena to Target Center, and it’s 800 miles away. It would make sense for the Timberwolves to join the Eastern Conference. However, the league would have to implement some massive changes before that can happen.
