Gary Payton Puts Timeline on Possible NBA Expansion That Could Involve Seattle Team
Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton will always be associated with the Seattle SuperSonics, the team with which he found prodigious success from 1991 to 2003.
As it is, Payton nearly outlasted the franchise. He played his last game in the 2007 season with the Miami Heat, while the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City after the 2008 season.
Now, Payton—a junior college basketball coach in Alameda, Calif.—is a vocal proponent of bringing back the SuperSonics.
“I know they might bring in two expansion teams, it might look like Vegas and Seattle,” Payton—who has intimated he wants to be involved with the new franchise—told ESPN’s Jay Harris and Marc Spears on Courtside Tales Tuesday. “We’re very excited. I think we’re gonna get it back in the next three years—two, three years, (2026), (2027). It might be that soon.”
Seattle’s relocation was controversial at the time, although the Oklahoma City Thunder’s wild on- and off-court success has papered over that slice of history.
It looks like the day may be coming when the NBA will right that wrong and return a team to a basketball-loving market.
Related
NBA: Mark Cuban says he would have asked for more…
Feb 13, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Mark Cuban laughs during the second half of the game between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat at American Airlines
NBA Scout Reveals Why Celtics Can Easily Beats Knicks in…
The Boston Celtics are one of the teams who are expected to be a contender at the end of the season. They are the defending NBA champions, so they feel like the
Nikola Jokić gives peak Nikola Jokić interview with Scott Van…
Nikola Jokić is still rewriting the record books — and treating it like just another day at the office. In a 149-141 overtime win over the Phoenix Suns
Knicks’ Struggles vs. NBA’s Elite Explained
The New York Knicks are one of the best teams in the NBA, but as of late, they have been defined more by their struggles than their triumphs.The Knicks are 0-7
