Doc Rivers wants an NBA team back in Seattle or Vancouver
The Pacific Northwest has not had an NBA team since the Seattle Sonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 to become the Thunder. However, at least one prominent NBA coach wants to see an NBA team back in the area.
It is an interesting comment from Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, as the Clips new owner, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, has strong connections to Seattle and has been rumored to have a desire to see the NBA return to the city. Although, Ballmer has gone on the record saying that the Clippers are staying in L.A., adding that, ' the league wouldn’t let them move".
The Pacific Northwest was also given an expansion franchise by the NBA in 1995, the Vancouver Grizzlies. The Grizzlies moved to Memphis however in 2001 after sputtering attendance, and a weak Canadian dollar spurred owner Michael Heisley to relocate the team.
While there are currently no NBA teams that are actively looking to relocate to another city, Seattle has become to the NBA what Los Angeles is to the NFL: a destination that existing owners can use as leverage in negotiations with both the league and their current respective cities.
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