As the NBA season gets closer to returning, the league has been doing its due diligence on the potential to expand. When and where the league might expand has been heavily discussed for years, but the NBA has remained a 30-team league for the last 20 years.

More recently, the growth the NBA has seen in terms of television revenue suggests it has the potential to add teams. The city of Seattle has been a popular focal point. The market has been starved for a team since the Seattle SuperSonics left for Oklahoma City in 2008.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently weighed in on when expansion could take place, mentioning Seattle specifically in the process. His answer was a little surprising, considering that the league had made it seem like it was coming down the pipeline sooner rather than later.

“There was not a lot of discussion in this meeting about expansion, but only largely not for lack of interest, it was that we had said to them that we’re not quite ready,” Silver said Tuesday in a press conference following the Board of Governor’s meeting. “I appreciate your pointing out that it’s kind of not quite — it might technically — is it fall yet? Maybe not yet. It’s feeling a little bit chillier in New York, so we’re getting close to fall. But it was something that we told our Board we plan to address this season, and we’re not quite ready yet. But I think there’s certainly interest in the process, and I think that we’re not there yet in terms of having made any specific decisions about markets or even frankly to expand.

“I know I’ve said this before, I think over time organizations should grow. It is appropriate. But it gets a bit complicated in terms of selling equity in the league, what that means for the existing television relationships, etc. What we’ve told interested parties is thank you for your interest, we’ll be back to you. And that’s certainly the case in Seattle, as well.”

While the NBA might not be ready right now, the question of expansion seems like a matter of when new teams will crop up, and where. Along with Seattle, cities such as Las Vegas, St. Louis, Louisville, Tampa and others, have all been rumored.

This preseason, the Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers will play a game at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. The NBA might use the arena as a test of whether it’s ready to host a team full-time.

Whenever the league does decide to expand, it will be an exciting moment for the NBA. League growth is an important factor in the overall success of the NBA, and the hope is that it happens sooner rather than later.

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