The Kansas City Raptors will be my 2nd favorite team.
Any chance this actually happens? Everything I've read about it dates back to October. I would love it if KC had an NBA franchise but I'd get behind an NHL franchise even more.
None. The Raptors and the NBA are trying to get them to Toronto. If that doesn't work, there are several cities that make more sense in a pandemic than KC. The schedule will be compact, they aren't going to select a city that maximizes the travel.
Bummer. I've read Louisville is KC's main competition and it seems that would reduce the travel impact some as well.
Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Tampa, Newark, and Nashville are also possibilities. Louisville and KC were listed as the most likely because they don't have NHL anchor tenets, but Louisville does have an anchor tenet and the Raptors are used to sharing with an NHL team. KC is a good option because their building offers the most flexibility, but the travel is a real problem.
I have a buddy who works for the Raptors and when asked about the chance of them playing in KC, his response was "Is there a number less than zero?"
As MIR said, they will do everything they can to stay in Toronto (most people don't realize that the Blue Jays were VERY close to hammering out details to stay in Toronto before they simply ran out of time). If the Raptors can't stay in Toronto, Tampa and Newark are the most likely second choices.
