Any conversation about teams potentially relocating starts with those franchises that are struggling the most in their current cities. Atlanta, Memphis, and most famously, Sacramento, all are having a hard time where they are, and in the past that’s almost always led to franchise relocation.

Sacramento is serious danger of moving to Anaheim, as we all know, and the Atlanta Hawks were recently purchased by a California businessman who says he plans on keeping the team in Georgia. Still, you never really know when a team is going to move (see: Seattle SuperSonics), so it’s a hard thing to predict.

Sometimes, though, relocation can be a good thing for a franchise, and the following is a list of teams who have gained the most from their moves to new cities. It doesn’t work for all teams, but it certainly worked for these organizations:

#5 – New Orleans Jazz to Utah (Moved in 1980) – Jazz music has almost nothing to do with Salt Lake City, giving the Utah franchise one of the oddest team names in all of sports, but despite that fact the Utah Jazz have, for the most part, been perennially competitive since making the move. In 32 seasons in Utah, they’ve made the postseason 24 times, including 2 trips the Finals and a string of 20 straight postseason appearances between 1983 and 2003.

Jerry Sloan, Karl Malone, and John Stockton had a lot to do with all of that, but even after they retired and moved on the franchise saw success under the leadership of Deron Williams. Today, they’re the 16th most valuable NBA franchise, according to Forbes, and are starting a rebuilding movement. It might be a while before they see serious postseason accolades again, but there’s no denying that the move to Salt Lake City meant only improvement for the Jazz, especially since while in New Orleans the team didn’t see the postseason at all.

#4 – Philadelphia Warriors to San Francisco (1963) – Granted, two of the franchise’s three championships came while the team was still in Philly, but to be fair one of those two came before the NBA had officially formed, and the second came with Wilt Chamberlain leading the charge. The fact that they’ve won even a single championship since moving puts them in pretty rare company. Only five other franchises (six if you include the St. Louis Hawks) have won championships after having relocated.

Toss in the fact that they’re the 12th most valuable franchise in the league playing in one of America’s most treasured locales, and it’s pretty easy to consider the move a good one, especially since Philadelphia was able to get themselves another franchise to replace the departed Warriors only a year later.

#3 – San Diego Rockets to Houston (1972) – Believe it or not, the Houston Rockets are the 5th most valuable franchise in the league according to Forbes Magazine, and a lot of that comes from playing in an area that just really loves and appreciates its basketball team. A lot of that also comes on the heels of ten years with Yao Ming and the money he brought in from China, but still.

Even before Yao, the Rockets won two championships under the leadership of Hakeem Olajuwon (and later Clyde Drexler), one of the most statistically dominant centers of all time. That added to all the money they’ve made off of Yao and Tracy McGrady over the course of the last decade puts them pretty high on this list pretty comfortably.

#2 – Syracuse Nationals to Philadelphia 76ers (1964) – After losing the Warriors to San Francisco, the City of Brotherly Love almost immediately acquired a new franchise in the Syracuse Nationals, changing the team moniker to the appropriately named 76ers. By the mid-‘60s, every other franchise located in a smaller town had relocated to a bigger, more profitable area, and since the Nationals were struggling in Syracuse, their new owner snatched the vacancy in Philly only a year after the Warriors left.

Since then, the Sixers have appeared in the Finals six times, winning twice, and Forbes rates them the 17th most valuable franchise in the NBA. Moses Malone, Dr. J, Charles Barkley, and Allen Iverson are four of the best players of all time, and they’ve helped the organization see plenty of success since relocating—quite a bit more than they did before relocating, actually, which is what sets them apart from a team like the Lakers, who were good even before moving. The Sixers came into their own due largely to the move, making their relocation among the most successful of the batch.

#1 – Minneapolis Lakers to Los Angeles (1961) – Had baseball’s Brooklyn Dodgers never moved to L.A. in the late ‘50s, the Lakers might have ended up in San Francisco or Chicago instead, but because the Dodgers did so well in Southern California, that’s where new owner Bob Short decided to move his team. It was a relocation decided entirely by potential profitability, and since they’re now the second most valuable franchise in the league, I’d say that profitability came to fruition.

The move also made the Lakers the first west coast team in the league, a trend that obviously caught on and helped the growth of the league hugely. Considering they’ve won 11 championships in 25 appearances since moving from Minnesota, I’d say we can go ahead and label the move a huge success.

Honorable Mention

Tri-Cities Blackhawks to Atlanta Hawks through Milwaukee & St. Louis (1969) – The Hawks moved around a lot in their first two decades or so in the league, starting in Rochester, New York while still part of the NBL and eventually going through Moline, Illinois (1950), Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1952), and St. Louis, Missouri (1956) before finally ending up in Atlanta.

It looks like new ownership plans on keeping the Hawks where they are (for now), so even though the team isn’t filling their arena on a nightly basis or winning any championships, the fact that they’ve been able to stick in one place for over forty years despite so much turbulence early on means they’ve done relatively well, all things considered. Still, low attendance means the Hawks are a prime candidate for relocation again at some point down the road, and that keeps them out of the top five.

Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City Thunder (2009) – There are two ways to look at this. The first is that because of Kevin Durant (and to a lesser extent, Russell Westbrook), the Thunder have remained a competitive franchise and probably will continue to do so for the better part of the next decade. Oklahoma City has proven that they love basketball, and as far as relocation transitions are concerned, theirs has been pretty smooth.

But the other way to look at it is that the team never should’ve had to move from Seattle in the first place. The word “hijacked” has been used in the past and it’s not entirely inaccurate. Conditions in the state of Washington weren’t necessarily the most ideal of any city in the league, but the Sonics had a rich history in Seattle and the city really did not want the team to leave. Yes, they’ve done pretty well in the few seasons since leaving, but the circumstances around them leaving in the first place is what makes the whole discussion overwhelmingly depressing.

Rochester Royals to Sacramento Kings through Cincinnati & Kansas City (1986) – The Kings/Royals have done quite a bit of moving over the course of the franchise’s history, and for all we know there could be another move (presumably to Anaheim) after the 2012 season, and we’ll be adding a whole new chapter to the story. Hopefully that’s not the case, because Sacramento legitimately loves their Kings, but the city has had a hard time of late hosting the team.

That doesn’t change the fact that Arco has long been considered one of the most raucous arenas in the NBA, and that some of the Kings teams of the early 2000s were among the most exciting of the decade. Still, the team has one championship to speak of—the 1951 title as the Rochester Royals, before ever having moved at all. In short, they sort of had more success before getting to Sacramento, and since they could potentially be on the way out, it’s hard to justify sneaking them into the top five. They just aren’t there.

Chicago Packers to Washington Wizards through Baltimore (1964) – Before there was the Chicago Bulls, there was the Chicago Packers, who became the Chicago Zephyrs, who eventually moved east and became the Baltimore Bullets. We know now that Chicago absolutely is a viable NBA market (one of the best, actually), but at the time the move out east seemed like the right thing to do.

After moving, the Bullets made their first NBA Finals within seven years, and between 1971 and 1979 appeared in the Finals a total of four times, winning the championship once in 1978. Not a lot of success has come for the franchise since then, but in general it’s hard to say that the move has been a failure. In fact, it really hasn’t, as D.C. has proven to be a viable sports market for all four major sports. The Wizards are in a funk for now, but they’ve seen their fair share of good times since heading to the east coast.

There’s no way to know what will happen to the Hawks and Grizzlies and Kings, but you always hope to see a team stay where they are. Of course, there are great sports cities like San Diego and St. Louis and Kansas City just waiting for another opportunity to get themselves an NBA team. There’s no way to make everybody happy, but there’s no questioning that sometimes, a move is just what the doctor ordered. If the Lakers had never moved, just think how different the history of the league might have been…

Any conversation about teams potentially relocating starts with those franchises that are struggling the most in their current cities.  Atlanta, Memphis, and most famously, Sacramento, all are having a hard time where they are, and in the past that’s almost always led to franchise relocation.

Sacramento is serious danger of moving to Anaheim, as we all know, and the Atlanta Hawks were recently purchased by a California businessman who says he plans on keeping the team in Georgia.  Still, you never really know when a team is going to move (see: Seattle SuperSonics), so it’s a hard thing to predict.

Sometimes, though, relocation can be a good thing for a franchise, and the following is a list of teams who have gained the most from their moves to new cities.  It doesn’t work for all teams, but it certainly worked for these organizations:

#5 – New Orleans Jazz to Utah (Moved in 1980) – Jazz music has almost nothing to do with Salt Lake City, giving the Utah franchise one of the oddest team names in all of sports, but despite that fact the Utah Jazz have, for the most part, been perennially competitive since making the move.  In 32 seasons in Utah, they’ve made the postseason 24 times, including 2 trips the Finals and a string of 20 straight postseason appearances between 1983 and 2003. 

Jerry Sloan, Karl Malone, and John Stockton had a lot to do with all of that, but even after they retired and moved on the franchise saw success under the leadership of Deron Williams.  Today, they’re the 16^th most valuable NBA franchise, according to Forbes, and are starting a rebuilding movement.  It might be a while before they see serious postseason accolades again, but there’s no denying that the move to Salt Lake City meant only improvement for the Jazz, especially since while in New Orleans the team didn’t see the postseason at all.

#4 – Philadelphia Warriors to San Francisco (1963) – Granted, two of the franchise’s three championships came while the team was still in Philly, but to be fair one of those two came before the NBA had officially formed, and the second came with Wilt Chamberlain leading the charge.  The fact that they’ve won even a single championship since moving puts them in pretty rare company.  Only five other franchises (six if you include the St. Louis Hawks) have won championships after having relocated.

Toss in the fact that they’re the 12^th most valuable franchise in the league playing in one of America’s most treasured locales, and it’s pretty easy to consider the move a good one, especially since Philadelphia was able to get themselves another franchise to replace the departed Warriors only a year later.

#3 – San Diego Rockets to Houston (1972) – Believe it or not, the Houston Rockets are the 5^th most valuable franchise in the league according to Forbes Magazine, and a lot of that comes from playing in an area that just really loves and appreciates its basketball team.  A lot of that also comes on the heels of ten years with Yao Ming and the money he brought in from China, but still.

Even before Yao, the Rockets won two championships under the leadership of Hakeem Olajuwon (and later Clyde Drexler), one of the most statistically dominant centers of all time.  That added to all the money they’ve made off of Yao and Tracy McGrady over the course of the last decade puts them pretty high on this list pretty comfortably.

#2 – Syracuse Nationals to Philadelphia 76ers (1964) – After losing the Warriors to San Francisco, the City of Brotherly Love almost immediately acquired a new franchise in the Syracuse Nationals, changing the team moniker to the appropriately named 76ers.  By the mid-‘60s, every other franchise located in a smaller town had relocated to a bigger, more profitable area, and since the Nationals were struggling in Syracuse, their new owner snatched the vacancy in Philly only a year after the Warriors left.

Since then, the Sixers have appeared in the Finals six times, winning twice, and Forbes rates them the 17^th most valuable franchise in the NBA.  Moses Malone, Dr. J, Charles Barkley, and Allen Iverson are four of the best players of all time, and they’ve helped the organization see plenty of success since relocating—quite a bit more than they did before relocating, actually, which is what sets them apart from a team like the Lakers, who were good even before moving.  The Sixers came into their own due largely to the move, making their relocation among the most successful of the batch.

#1 – Minneapolis Lakers to Los Angeles (1961) – Had baseball’s Brooklyn Dodgers never moved to L.A. in the late ‘50s, the Lakers might have ended up in San Francisco or Chicago instead, but because the Dodgers did so well in Southern California, that’s where new owner Bob Short decided to move his team.  It was a relocation decided entirely by potential profitability, and since they’re now the second most valuable franchise in the league, I’d say that profitability came to fruition.

The move also made the Lakers the first west coast team in the league, a trend that obviously caught on and helped the growth of the league hugely.  Considering they’ve won 11 championships in 25 appearances since moving from Minnesota, I’d say we can go ahead and label the move a huge success.

Honorable Mention

Tri-Cities Blackhawks to Atlanta Hawks through Milwaukee & St. Louis (1969) – The Hawks moved around a lot in their first two decades or so in the league, starting in Rochester, New York while still part of the NBL and eventually going through Moline, Illinois (1950), Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1952), and St. Louis, Missouri (1956) before finally ending up in Atlanta. 

It looks like new ownership plans on keeping the Hawks where they are (for now), so even though the team isn’t filling their arena on a nightly basis or winning any championships, the fact that they’ve been able to stick in one place for over forty years despite so much turbulence early on means they’ve done relatively well, all things considered.  Still, low attendance means the Hawks are a prime candidate for relocation again at some point down the road, and that keeps them out of the top five.

Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City Thunder (2009) – There are two ways to look at this.  The first is that because of Kevin Durant (and to a lesser extent, Russell Westbrook), the Thunder have remained a competitive franchise and probably will continue to do so for the better part of the next decade.  Oklahoma City has proven that they love basketball, and as far as relocation transitions are concerned, theirs has been pretty smooth.

But the other way to look at it is that the team never should’ve had to move from Seattle in the first place.  The word “hijacked” has been used in the past and it’s not entirely inaccurate.  Conditions in the state of Washington weren’t necessarily the most ideal of any city in the league, but the Sonics had a rich history in Seattle and the city really did not want the team to leave.  Yes, they’ve done pretty well in the few seasons since leaving, but the circumstances around them leaving in the first place is what makes the whole discussion overwhelmingly depressing.

Rochester Royals to Sacramento Kings through Cincinnati & Kansas City (1986) – The Kings/Royals have done quite a bit of moving over the course of the franchise’s history, and for all we know there could be another move (presumably to Anaheim) after the 2012 season, and we’ll be adding a whole new chapter to the story.  Hopefully that’s not the case, because Sacramento legitimately loves their Kings, but the city has had a hard time of late hosting the team.

That doesn’t change the fact that Arco has long been considered one of the most raucous arenas in the NBA, and that some of the Kings teams of the early 2000s were among the most exciting of the decade.  Still, the team has one championship to speak of—the 1951 title as the Rochester Royals, before ever having moved at all.  In short, they sort of had more success before getting to Sacramento, and since they could potentially be on the way out, it’s hard to justify sneaking them into the top five.  They just aren’t there.

Chicago Packers to Washington Wizards through Baltimore (1964) – Before there was the Chicago Bulls, there was the Chicago Packers, who became the Chicago Zephyrs, who eventually moved east and became the Baltimore Bullets.  We know now that Chicago absolutely is a viable NBA market (one of the best, actually), but at the time the move out east seemed like the right thing to do.

After moving, the Bullets made their first NBA Finals within seven years, and between 1971 and 1979 appeared in the Finals a total of four times, winning the championship once in 1978.  Not a lot of success has come for the franchise since then, but in general it’s hard to say that the move has been a failure.  In fact, it really hasn’t, as D.C. has proven to be a viable sports market for all four major sports.  The Wizards are in a funk for now, but they’ve seen their fair share of good times since heading to the east coast.

There’s no way to know what will happen to the Hawks and Grizzlies and Kings, but you always hope to see a team stay where they are.  Of course, there are great sports cities like San Diego and St. Louis and Kansas City just waiting for another opportunity to get themselves an NBA team.  There’s no way to make everybody happy, but there’s no questioning that sometimes, a move is just what the doctor ordered.  If the Lakers had never moved, just think how different the history of the league might have been…