Next up for WNBA expansion: Detroit has entered the chat

WNBA expansion has ebbed and flowed through the league's 27-year history. There are 12 WNBA franchises taking the court this season, three of which pivoted from earlier iterations after being relocated to new cities. The Orlando Miracle became the Connecticut Sun, the Utah Starzz became the Las Vegas Aces, and the Detroit Shock became the Dallas Wings.

There's been 12 teams in the W since 2008 when the Atlanta Dream joined the league, but that's set to change by next season. Golden State Warriors ownership was awarded a WNBA franchise, which will be known as the Golden State Valkyries and commence play in 2025. Earlier this month, Toronto confirmed that it too would field a WNBA franchise, the first international team for the league and a major milestone for Canadian women's basketball.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has said she hopes to expand the league to 16 teams by 2028, meaning there are at least two cities that still have a chance to secure a franchise before the end of the decade. Engelbert has mentioned certain cities by name: Philadelphia, Portland, Denver, Nashville and South Florida are all potential markets. But there's one market Engelbert neglected to mention, one that has proven to be a strong market for WNBA fans in the past — one that may finally be positioned to host a WNBA team indefinitely.

Detroit makes a case to become the next site for WNBA expansion

According to Crain's Detroit Business, the NBA's Detroit Pistons have been talking with the WNBA about potentially bringing a franchise back to Detroit.

“While nothing is imminent, the prospects of bringing a WNBA team back to Detroit is intriguing and we have interest should they open another round of expansion," Pistons chief communication officer Kevin Grigg said. "We will continue to engage in conversation with the WNBA going forward.”

Motor City was formerly home to the Detroit Shock, which entered the league in 1998. The Shock went from being one of the worst teams in the league to winning the WNBA Championship in 2003, becoming the first WNBA expansion franchise to accomplish this feat.

As any expansion team in professional sports can attest, winning a championship five years in is a nearly impossible feat considering the usual talent gap and rhythm needed to build an elite team. The Shock are one of six teams to win the WNBA championship three times. The Shock rose back to the top of the league from 2006 to 2008 before relocating to Tulsa, OK in 2010.

It was Pistons owner Bill Davidson who owned the Shock previously, and it could be Davidson who brings them back to Detroit. The team had to leave previously because it was losing money, but this is a new WNBA these days.