Hawks coach: 'Having our own D-League team is critical to us'
The NBA is moving closer and closer to a full 30-team, 1-to-1 affiliated NBA D-League. And the Atlanta Hawks could be part of taking that next step forward
There are currently 19 NBA D-League teams, with 18 owned or affiliated with a single NBA team and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants jointly affiliated with the remaining 12 NBA teams. That can make things tough sometimes simply as a numbers game if you're one of those 12 franchises.
Which is why it makes sense for teams to pursue a 1-to-1 partnership with or ownership of a D-League team. And that's something that Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer says is "critical" to Atlanta:
The more interested teams, the better off everyone will be. One of the major considerations with D-League franchises is cost; if several NBA teams in a region invest in D-League franchises close to home at the same time, that creates a natural grouping of D-League teams that can play against each other within a division and keep travel costs down.
(h/t Peachtree Hoops)
Photo Credit: Chuck Cook/USA TODAY Sports
