NBA Expansion could dramatically impact Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies are playing some of the best basketball we’ve seen in the history of this franchise, thanks in part to the amazing play of MVP candidate Ja Morant.

But, there’s something lurking on the horizon that could dramatically reshape the Memphis Grizzlies, how they play their games and who they play in front of.

That’s right, we’re talking about expansion.

It’s something that’s been slowly been marinating on the back-burner, but was recently catapulted into league-wide conversation when The Ringer’s Bill Simmons said he had an update on the possibility of NBA expansion.

According to Simmons, who made the claim on a recent episode of his namesake show, The Bill Simmons Podcast.

https://twitter.com/FOS/status/1499012784184598531?s=20&t=RwIFEUm6u-VL1UT0gwfKYQ

Simmons said he had “some intel” that suggests the NBA will be expanding by adding a team in Las Vegas and Seattle.

As many will remember, Seattle had an NBA team for 41 years— the Supersonics— until the team was sold and a new owner moved the team to Oklahoma City in 2008.

Simmons said his sources mentioned an expansion or franchise fee, of around $3.5 billion each.

“I heard, combined, we’re talking $6.5 – 7 billion for these two [NBA expansion] teams in Vegas and Seattle,” Simmons said on the podcast.

He went on to mention LeBron James and his business partners being floated as the likely figures to bring a team to Vegas.

Memphis Grizzlies would likely endure seismic shift during NBA Expansion

How does this all impact the Memphis Grizzlies? Well, it’s basic geography.

There would be two new teams firmly entrenched in Western Conference territory. It would bring the conference to a total of 17 teams. The Eastern Conference would be left with 15 teams and the NBA would be unbalanced.

Having two extra teams in the West would bring scores of scheduling and travel issues, not to mention implications for the playoffs and All-Star activities.

The easiest and cleanest solution would be to move two teams that are closest to the conference boundary line: Memphis, New Orleans and Minnesota.

You could make a case for any of the three teams, but Minnesota and Memphis seem to make the most geographical and competitive sense.

The flight times for the Grizzlies to travel would not change all that much if they were to move to the Eastern Conference. The following are estimated flight times using Air Miles Calculator.

Flying time from Memphis to closest Western Conference teams

NOLA: 1 hour, 10 minutes
OKC: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Dallas: 1 hour, 45 minutes
San Antonio: 1 hour 45 minutes
Houston: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Average flight is 98 minutes, or 1 hour 38 minutes.

Flying time from Memphis to closest Eastern Conference teams

Atlanta:  1 hour, 19 minutes
Chicago: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Milwaukee: 1 hour, 33 minutes
Orlando: 1 hour, 33 minutes
Miami: 2 hours

Average flight is 94 minutes or 1 hour, 34 minutes.

The main difference playing in the East vs the West is competitiveness. If you look at the standings right now, the Grizzlies would be the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, which is a massive advantage come playoff time.

An added bonus, you could get Ja Morant playing in front of the biggest media market in the country (New York) eight times a year between the Knicks and the Nets. If the Grizzlies were in the East playing another Eastern Conference team, they would likely have two home games and two away games with most teams.

What better way to market and showcase the new face of the NBA but in front of the biggest media markets in the country?

Who knows how the league would slice up the divisions when the expansion happens. But, if and when it does happen, expect the Grizzlies to be under heavy consideration to jump over to the Eastern Conference.