Could NBA return to STL after nearly 60 years?

leeharveyawesome · PostMar 27, 2025#5512025-03-27T14:04+00:00

One can get cheap seat season tickets to Memphis Grizzlies for $731. I could conceivably see the Grizzlies relocating to St. Louis because Memphis is such a horrible place. I'm no longer the NBA junkie I used to be but I would totally get cheap seat season tickets.

Actually, I wonder which I would choose if I had the choice between cheap seat season tickets or one game front row court side. Cost about the same.

STLAPTS · PostMar 27, 2025#5522025-03-27T14:27+00:00

leeharveyawesome wrote: ↑
Mar 27, 2025
One can get cheap seat season tickets to Memphis Grizzlies for $731. I could conceivably see the Grizzlies relocating to St. Louis because Memphis is such a horrible place. I'm no longer the NBA junkie I used to be but I would totally get cheap seat season tickets.

Actually, I wonder which I would choose if I had the choice between cheap seat season tickets or one game front row court side. Cost about the same.

$730 for curtsied is dirt cheap for an NBA game. $1500 plus is the norm per seat.

shadrach · PostMar 27, 2025#5532025-03-27T15:23+00:00

Not to fantasize—
Don’t know how many die hard Grizzlies’ fans in Memphis that would travel but have the CVC put a targeted package/bundle together to scoop up as much as you can.

dweebe · PostMar 30, 2025#5542025-03-30T01:06+00:00

In no way am I saying St. Louis could poach the Dallas Mavericks. Just posting this as something interesting.

Dallas Mavericks need new arena by 2031-2032 season, CEO says
https://www.fox4news.com/news/dallas-ma ... rick-welts

The Mavericks have played in downtown Dallas for the entirety of their existence as a franchise, playing in Reunion Arena from 1980-2001 and the American Airlines Center since then.
What they're saying:
Welts said that the team has engaged with the city of Dallas about the future of the team.
"Our commitment is to find a home in Dallas. That's where we want to be. That's where the city wants us to be and we're going to pursue every single possible option to make that happen," Welts said.
When asked about the American Airlines Center, Welts said the arena is a great place to watch a basketball game, but is lacking amenities that "fans expect in 2025."
He says that steps will be taken to improve the fan experience at the AAC while they are still there.
"We're very much hoping to be able to invest significantly in the remaining time we are there. We need to be in a new arena for the 2031-2032 season. We're on the clock," Welts said.

My guess is this is a play to gauge interest from one of the DFW area suburbs and get a bidding war going.

beer city · PostApr 01, 2025#5552025-04-01T03:38+00:00

Bart Harley Jarvis wrote: ↑
Mar 27, 2025
beer city wrote: ↑
Mar 27, 2025
MLS was on life support after the first season splash in 1996, while they have come a long way they are still # 5 amongst the big leagues. The salary cap holds them back and the TV revenue is still really low, there is such a crowded market in sports these days I am not sure they will get much higher then they are right now. They need to figure out a way to make offers to guys like Sargent, Ream and other US players who are good enough for the European first divisions to stay home, that would build the synergy between the clubs and the national team like you have in Europe.

As for the NBA I feel the product is getting a bit stale. That league also was on life support in the 70's, when I was a kid the NBA finals were on tape delay after the news . They really made the most out of capitalizing on the stars, first with Magic/Bird then the Jordan years were fun but 40 years of showcasing a handful of players is taking its toll, if you don't have one of the top 10 players in the league you are cannon fodder for the teams that do. That being said I would welcome a team... but we are not on the expansion radar, and I don't want some other city's team as that has not worked out well.
Ream is in Charlotte

Yeah but its the old MLS retirement plan - Need to get these guys when they are 25

STLAPTS · PostApr 03, 2025#5562025-04-03T19:59+00:00

dweebe wrote: ↑
Mar 30, 2025
In no way am I saying St. Louis could poach the Dallas Mavericks. Just posting this as something interesting.

Dallas Mavericks need new arena by 2031-2032 season, CEO says
https://www.fox4news.com/news/dallas-ma ... rick-welts

The Mavericks have played in downtown Dallas for the entirety of their existence as a franchise, playing in Reunion Arena from 1980-2001 and the American Airlines Center since then.
What they're saying:
Welts said that the team has engaged with the city of Dallas about the future of the team.
"Our commitment is to find a home in Dallas. That's where we want to be. That's where the city wants us to be and we're going to pursue every single possible option to make that happen," Welts said.
When asked about the American Airlines Center, Welts said the arena is a great place to watch a basketball game, but is lacking amenities that "fans expect in 2025."
He says that steps will be taken to improve the fan experience at the AAC while they are still there.
"We're very much hoping to be able to invest significantly in the remaining time we are there. We need to be in a new arena for the 2031-2032 season. We're on the clock," Welts said.
My guess is this is a play to gauge interest from one of the DFW area suburbs and get a bidding war going.

New ownership is the Adelson family. They want a ballpark village setup with a casino. If they were to move anywhere it would be to Vegas.

pattimagee · PostApr 10, 2025#5572025-04-10T14:34+00:00

Not on my bingo card:

robertn42 · PostApr 10, 2025#5582025-04-10T14:38+00:00

pattimagee wrote: ↑
Apr 10, 2025
Not on my bingo card:

Isn't this an old conversation "Oct 28th, 2020" Would love it though. Pelicans come home.

pattimagee · PostApr 10, 2025#5592025-04-10T14:43+00:00

Gah - I saw someone repost it... I thought that was new, lol. nvm

dweebe · PostMay 14, 2025#5602025-05-14T01:07+00:00

Is there someone in Portland with $5 billion? Or do they move a couple hours north to Seattle?

dredger · PostMay 16, 2025#5612025-05-16T04:43+00:00

^ Maybe Taylor family pulls a Kroenke bit and buyout the blazers, take controlling interest in Blues and then happily put them together in downtown St Louis for a family member to run the show. For good measure buy out the muni courts building & backlot and across the street if Spencer/MoDOT agrees to demo/do away with the freeway ramp using the dollars from the purchase. Rinkside/Courtside is fine and believe you can find a creative way to add more locker, training and back office space for two pro teams. Can only be wishful. Plus it would save Portland from the humiliation if they head up I-5 to Seattle.

Can't help to think about that after watching Nuggets forcing game seven against Thunder after Thunder spent the second half throwing one brick after another from the 3 point line.

They might not be able to pull off a NFL team like Stan K but get three of five (NBA, NHL and MLS). I would throw in a conspiracy effort to get DeWitt kicked out down the street but Cards been playing some pretty good ball the las couple of weeks.

dweebe · PostJun 17, 2025#5622025-06-17T18:26+00:00

framer · PostJun 17, 2025#5632025-06-17T19:18+00:00

Yikes.

Bart Harley Jarvis · PostJun 17, 2025#5642025-06-17T20:13+00:00

Butler might have been referring to playing next to Ja - he's not exactly the safest gun owner.

dweebe · PostJun 30, 2025#5652025-06-30T14:22+00:00

Aggressive expansion by the WNBA in existing NBA markets.

PostOct 21, 2025#5662025-10-21T17:12+00:00

Pick off the two weakest of the herd.

Debaliviere91 · PostOct 21, 2025#5672025-10-21T17:24+00:00

We need to update the title of this thread. It’s out of date lol.

quincunx · PostOct 21, 2025#5682025-10-21T17:41+00:00

LOL, updated. May we have another 10 years of discussion here.

goat314 · PostOct 21, 2025#5692025-10-21T18:15+00:00

Memphis is really a rather small and poor metropolitan area. It should have never had a profession team. It's also shocking that New Orleans has NFL and NBA, another poor and smallish market, but people think St. Louis couldn't support 3? St. Louis is bigger than Memphis and New Orleans combined. With about half a million to spare.

Auggie · PostOct 21, 2025#5702025-10-21T18:34+00:00

goat314 wrote: ↑
Oct 21, 2025
Memphis is really a rather small and poor metropolitan area. It should have never had a profession team. It's also shocking that New Orleans has NFL and NBA, another poor and smallish market, but people think St. Louis couldn't support 3? St. Louis is bigger than Memphis and New Orleans combined. With about half a million to spare.

I think STL's best chance at a non-expansion NBA team is the Pelicans followed by the Grizzlies. They could then play at Enterprise for a few seasons until a new arena is built because it would be an upgrade from Smoothie King and in the same ballpark as FedEx.

New Orleans makes sense because their "catchment" area for fans is all of Louisana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and probably most of Alabama. The NO Metropolitan Area is also disceptive. While it's officially only ~1 million, the Combined Statistical Area is over 1.5 million. Additionally, Baton Rouge is only a 1 hour car ride away, which isn't much longer than Wentzville to downtown STL. That adds another nearly 900k potential people to support and attend games, especially NFL games.

Memphis is a different story though. Not sure how the NBA justifies keeping a team in a city like that. You'd think they'd at least be pushing to move them to Nashville, especially with the upgrades coming to Bridgestone Arena.

dweebe · PostOct 21, 2025#5712025-10-21T18:57+00:00

Auggie wrote: ↑
Oct 21, 2025
Memphis is a different story though. Not sure how the NBA justifies keeping a team in a city like that. You'd think they'd at least be pushing to move them to Nashville, especially with the upgrades coming to Bridgestone Arena.

You're probably right. If the Grizzlies are going anywhere they'll go to Nashville.

The only reason to spend $750 million and add 200,000 sq ft to renovate an arena is if you're looking to poach an NBA team. Especially if 75,000 sq ft of that is locker room space.

https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports ... gmt=0154_D

PostOct 21, 2025#5722025-10-21T19:36+00:00

From this week:

https://www.si.com/nba/adam-silver-on-c ... hing-games

SI: You seemed to have pumped the brakes on expansion recently. What once seemed to be a foregone conclusion now feels like it might never happen.

AS: I have not been trying to convey through my words in media availability that we’re any less interested in potential expansion than we were two years ago. I’m just being factual. It’s a very deliberate process, and it’s something that the league, working with our teams, continues to consider and discuss. In fact, we’ve continued to build out models of both the math on expansion and potential dilution in terms of our current national television deal. What’s more difficult is at least attempting to project out to the extent we’re selling future shares in the NBA, how to value that. That work continues.

SI: So what about relocation? You have some teams with arena issues. You have teams with leases that are set to expire before the end of the decade.

AS: The answer is yes, we’re always looking at everything. We wouldn’t be doing our jobs as a league if we weren’t always thinking about how we’re doing in our existing markets. There is absolutely no intention now to relocate any particular team, but it becomes part of the discussion. I think as we look at arena situations in given markets, we look at the ebb and flow of population in the country and economic prosperity in particular markets. We always want to make sure that we are in markets that can sustain a competitive team. So yes, all those factors are in the mix.

Of course a league commissioner will speak as carefully and not leading as possible. But that last one seems to take a light shot across the bow of Memphis and New Orleans.

STLcommenter · PostOct 21, 2025#5732025-10-21T23:37+00:00

NBA expansion will reportedly be reconsidered this summer: 10 cities that could get a new NBA team including Seattle

https://sportsnaut.com/nba/nba-expansio ... ble-cities

While I doubt St. Louis would ever be on top of the NBA’s list for expansion, if there was a solid ownership group, stadium plan, and the economic conditions of St. Louis started to turn around, it could become a very strong contender for expansion or relocation

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

dweebe · PostOct 29, 2025#5742025-10-29T14:03+00:00

The squabble in Dallas has certainly kicked it up a few notches.

PostNov 12, 2025#5752025-11-12T19:29+00:00

Could NBA return to STL after nearly 60 years?

Choose Display Mode