Is An NBA D-League Affiliate Coming for the Toronto Raptors?

With 17 one-to-one affiliations between the NBA and the D-League, the NBA is moving towards having 30 one-to-one affiliations, which shouldn't be that far off in the horizon. It may take upwards of five years or so, but it's obvious that the trend is ticking towards more teams having their own D-League affiliate.

The next team in line for their own affiliation could be the NBA's lone Canadian team, the Toronto Raptors. According to a report from Time Warner Cable News of Rochester, the Toronto Raptors are in discussions with the Rochester RazorSharks as a D-League affiliate. The Atlantic Division champions are looking to bring Rochester to the D-League, as the RazorSharks are currently playing in the Premier Basketball League. The RazorSharks have won the PBL championship in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2014.

The Raptors are currently affiliated with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, which share the affiliation with 12 other teams. Even though the RazorSharks are located in New York, it's a short flight from Toronto, so the move would make sense geographically.

If the Raptors move forward with these discussions and purchase the RazorSharks, it would be another step forward for the NBADL. Teams are seeing the advantageous reasons to have a solo affiliate, instead of sharing a D-League squad with multiple teams, like the Raptors are currently doing with the Mad Ants. The Raptors would be able to develop the RazorSharks as a true minor league club, implementing the same sets and schemes that the Raptors run, so the players sent down don't miss a step when called back up.

There are a lot of financial obstacles to overcome, as moving a team from one basketball league to another doesn't seem like the easiest task on the planet.