RE: Could the Pelicans be on the move?
Largest metros without an NBA team, in population order, noting existing major pro teams in the market:
Seattle, 4.0 million + (NFL, MLB, NHL)
San Diego, 3.3 million * (MLB)
Tampa, 3.2 million * (NFL, MLB, NHL)
St. Louis, 2.8 million (MLB, NHL)
Baltimore, 2.7 million * (NFL, MLB)
Las Vegas, 2.3 million + (NFL, NHL)
Pittsburgh, 2.3 million (NFL, MLB, NHL)
Austin, 2.2 million *
Cincinnati, 2.2 million (NFL, MLB)
Kansas City, 2.2 million (NFL, MLB)
Columbus, 2.1 million * (NHL)
Nashville, 2.0 million (NFL, NHL)
+ is for new or new-ish arenas. Not many of those; AFAIK Seattle and Las Vegas have the only arenas suitable for NBA that are new or completely remodeled within the last 10 years.
* is for metros close enough to an NBA team that a move could be blocked by the league.
Not listed are places with arenas that are so close to existing teams that the chance of a move being blocked is about 100%, eg Anaheim and Newark.
For any metro closer to 2 million in population that already has more than one major franchise, query whether adding an NBA team is "too much" for that market.
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