There are 30 teams in the NBA. However, there’s speculation that league expansion could be on the horizon in the near future. As of right now, Seattle and Las Vegas are rumored to be next in line to get a team.
The popularity of basketball is at a high level right now. There are a ton of players who are talented enough to make it in the NBA that are playing overseas or playing in other leagues due to limited roster spots. Two-way contracts are certainly adding to this.
League expansion is seemingly inevitable in the near future, and Seattle and Las Vegas are the most popular choices. Vegas has gotten both an NHL team and an NFL team in the past five years, while Seattle lost the SuperSonics in the early 2000s and has been clambering to bring back the Sonics ever since.
When Seattle and Vegas are brought in, in the event that plays out, that would bring the total to 32 teams. Now, the NBA may not stop at 32 teams, which means other cities could very well be brought into the National Basketball Association down the road. Nashville, Louisville, San Diego, Virginia Beach, Mexico City, and Pittsburgh are intriguing cities the NBA could look to expand to at some point in the future it seems.
So, what if Pittsburgh were to be a part of that expansion? How would that affect the Cleveland Cavaliers?
Cleveland and Pittsburgh aren’t friendly towards one another in sports. So Pittsburgh potentially getting an NBA team, maybe even in the Cavs division, would add fuel to that fire.
The cities of Cleveland and Pittsburgh aren’t exactly friendly toward one another regarding sports. The Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers have a long and storied rivalry which raises blood pressure, especially in Cleveland.
If Pittsburgh got an NBA team, the animosity would extend from the football field to the basketball court. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and the Cavaliers and the new Pittsburgh NBA team would have a rivalry within a season or two.
If Pittsburgh were to get an NBA team, most likely division realignment would happen. The new team in the “Steel City” would probably end up in the Central Division, I’d imagine.
As of right now, the Central Division is composed of the Chicago Bulls, Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, and the Milwaukee Bucks. However, if Pittsburgh got an NBA team, that would most likely change.
In this new Central Division, the Cavs could perhaps be with their new emerging rival in the Philadelphia 76ers, a team the Cavs are comparable to in the Memphis Grizzlies, the Detroit Pistons, and in this case, the new Pittsburgh team. What a fascinating and intriguing division that would be!
Just like in the AFC North where Myles Garrett, Nick Chubb and the Browns have the Steelers as their fierce rivals, the Cavs and the new Pittsburgh team would become fierce rivals. Would the rivalry only be between the teams? Would the rivalry only be between Cleveland and Pittsburgh? Would it be both?
These are questions that would need to be answered over time, not right away.