The Louisville Raptors will, in all likelihood, not be a thing in 2020.
All non-essential travel between Canada and the United States is still on hold until November 21, and that could be problematic for the NBA’s lone Canadian franchise in the Toronto Raptors. While a rumor that mentioned Toronto moving to the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville was floated around, that possibility appears to be quite a while away from becoming reality.
Louisville Courier-Journal writer Tim Sullivan claims that former NBA players Junior Bridgeman and Dan Issel, the latter of whom is trying to get a team moved to Louisville full-time, and Yum! Center GM Eric Granger have spoken to Raptors owner Larry Tannenbaum, and all have said reports of a move to Louisville are premature. Bridgeman called Tannenbaum a “true Canadian” who would need a miracle to move the team, even for a season.
The COVID-19 pandemic might still force the Raptors to play stateside
The Toronto Blue Jays were also unable to play their home games in Canada due to the country’s ban on travel to the US, meaning they had to make a late playoff run from Sahlen Field, home of the minor league Buffalo Bisons. Due to the pandemic, the Raptors have been faced with a similar situation.
If the Raptors do have to play their home games stateside, one potential option that makes a lot of sense is Buffalo’s KeyBank Center, currently the home of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. If the Raptors can work out a scheduling agreement between the arena and the Sabres, we might see NBA basketball return to Western New York.
No matter where they end up playing, Nick Nurse, Kyle Lowry, and the Raptors will be a contender in the East. Still, playing as close to Toronto as possible should be the priority, and Kentucky seems a bit unreasonable.