Surely the league wouldn’t let Dundon mess up a big expansion payday by grabbing turf in Seattle or Las Vegas. Some have suggested Austin or Nashville, but those two locales appear to be blocked off by the Spurs and Grizzlies, respectively, both of whom seem on track to play multiple “home-ish” games in those two cities in future seasons.
Others note that Dundon might access Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., the home arena of the NHL’s Dundon-owned Carolina Hurricanes. However, having been in that building as recently as March, it surely would be an immediate contender for the NBA’s worst. It’s also the old-style “parking lot in the middle of nowhere” model. A recently begun $300 million remodel may improve things on the inside somewhat.
After that, the domestic pickings get slim. Kansas City? St. Louis? Bring the NBA back to Rochester or Tri-Cities? None of the places I’ve mentioned appear obviously better than Portland — and a few seem demonstrably worse.
