Report: Silver met with Montreal reps interested in NBA franchise

It appears the owners of the Montreal Canadiens are at least feeling out the NBA in regards to a potential basketball tenant one day joining the hockey club in the city's Bell Centre.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver met with Canadiens vice president Kevin Gilmore in New York in January, according to Rejean Tremblay of Le Journal de Montreal (article in French). Silver reportedly told them that no team is currently available.

Beyond Seattle and perhaps even Las Vegas, there are not a ton of sizable U.S. markets left in search of an NBA franchise. Montreal is Canada's second-largest city and the ninth-largest in North America.

The Grizzlies moved from Vancouver to Memphis in 2001 due in part to a lack of corporate support, leaving Canada with only one NBA team, the Toronto Raptors.