The Pelicans' "long-awaited" G League affiliate will "ultimately be located" in Birmingham and will begin play in the '19-20 season, according to sources cited by Andrew Lopez of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. After negotiations "broke down" with Shreveport, the Pelicans "started looking elsewhere for places to put a team and ultimately decided on Birmingham." The Pelicans and city of Birmingham have been "working on this deal for over a year." The G League team will play in Legacy Arena, but "renovations to the facility won't be done for at least two seasons." In the meantime, the Pelicans will "take over" the G League Erie BayHawks team in Erie, Pa. The BayHawks had been affiliated with the Hawks, who are "moving a team" to College Park, Ga. (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 10/24). In Birmingham, Joseph Goodman notes a proposed renovation to Legacy Arena by the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Authority was the "driving force behind Birmingham luring the new team." The Pelicans began "looking for a home for a G League team two years ago, and initially targeted cities in the Gulf South." BJCC Exec Dir Tad Snider contacted the Pelicans a year into their process, and "won the franchise over." The BJCC Authority is "investing" around $125M into Legacy Arena. The arena will "undergo a complete makeover both inside and outside over the next few years." Goodman notes the Pelicans will own the team, and "hire its own staff to run the operation." Pelicans President Dennis Lauscha said that the team plans to "hire between 30-50 full-time employees" (AL.com, 10/24).
ROCKIN' THE SUBURBS: ESPN.com's Jonathan Givony cited sources as saying that the Nuggets are "next in line for a G League team, likely with a team returning" to the suburbs of Denver where the D-League Colorado 14ers used to be based. That will "make for 29 G League teams" in the '19-20 season, with the "lone holdouts" being the Trail Blazers (TWITTER.com, 10/23).
