NBA President Xiao Hua said that the league will "seriously" discuss expansion plans this summer and add 2 teams

NBA president Adam Schaew confirmed that the league plans to seriously explore expansion plans this summer, which heralds a possible change in the league's long-term structure. Xiao Hua made the above remarks when he was a guest on the Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday. Just a few days ago, he was asked for his first question about expansion plans before the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers' NBA Finals debut.

When asked if the NBA currently has a shortlist of potential expansion locations, Xiao Hua replied: "Some cities are worth considering." Although he admitted to his interest in multiple markets, he warned that expansion is not an inevitable result.

"First of all, I have to say that it is not obvious to me whether we should expand," Xiao Hua said. "I think we'll probably achieve this over time. I'm saying this isn't obvious because as a global enterprise, about 2 billion people will contact us on social media, and more than 1 billion people will watch some parts of the game in a year... If there is another American city, it's unknown how much growth will be."

Dan Patrick: "I retire in three years. Will we [NBA] expand in three years?"

Adam Xiao: "To be honest, I'm not sure. {I'm not kidding this on purpose, [but] we will seriously consider this issue this summer."

Shaw also pointed out that expansion will have competitive and financial implications.

"When you expand your team, you dilute your competitiveness - let's say we expand two more teams and they will compete for the same players. That way, your economic benefits will be reduced because we've locked in the next decade now, so you have two more partners," he said.

Adam Xiao Hua said that as summer negotiations approach, the NBA will explore the possibility of expansion.

Despite these factors, Xiao Hua admitted that some markets are still strong candidates for future teams.

"With that being said, I do believe that some markets have the potential to be included in the NBA, and that's exactly what we're going to consider," he said. "I think part of the reason is the geographical location, the United States is vast, and we need to make sure we have representation all over the country. Over time, maybe we can do more in Canada, and Mexico City is a city we have discussed before."

Xiao Hua clarified that the league has not met with any specific cities yet, but he confirmed that the expansion will be a key issue for the NBA Council meeting in Las Vegas during the summer league in July.

"We have not met with any city yet," Xiao Hua said. "We will hold a board meeting in Las Vegas during the summer league in July. I know we will discuss this issue at that time."

When Patrick asked whether the NBA would add teams in the next three years, Xiao Hua said the timeline was still uncertain.

"To be honest, I'm not sure," said Xiao Hua. "Even if we announce that the process is being advanced, I don't know when they will start the game. I'm not trying to joke about this, [but] we'll be seriously considering this this summer."