BUFFALO, N.Y. — As of now, it appears the NBA won't be coming to Buffalo.
A new report from Sportsnet, a Canadian sports outlet, claims that Tampa Bay, Florida will most likely be the temporary home for Toronto Raptors, if they can't play in Toronto because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last month, New York State Senator Tim Kennedy sent a letter to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver requesting that the Toronto Raptors make Buffalo its "home away from home in the event that the Canadian Federal Government declines to provide the Raptors an exception to the current ban on cross-border travel between Canada and the United States."
The Buffalo Common Council even had the Raptors playing in Buffalo on the agenda for one of their meetings last month. Leaders said that with the success of the Toronto Blue Jays making Buffalo their "home" for the MLB season, the NBA could use that as a model to make Buffalo a home away from home for the Raptors.
They also mentioned that with the close proximity between Toronto and Buffalo, HarborCenter would be an ideal complex for the Raptors to call home.
