The league expanded to a record 22 teams for the 2016–17 season. Three
expansion teams were introduced this season (
Greensboro Swarm,
Long Island Nets, and
Windy City Bulls), each of them owned and affiliated with an NBA team. Along with these three new teams, the
Bakersfield Jam were purchased by their 2015–16 affiliate, the
Phoenix Suns, and relocated to become the
Northern Arizona Suns. The
Idaho Stampede, who were already owned by the
Utah Jazz, were also relocated and became the
Salt Lake City Stars. The
Reno Bighorns were purchased by their NBA affiliate, the
Sacramento Kings just prior to the start of the season. The addition of the three teams, as well as the purchases of existing teams, left just eight NBA teams without a D-League affiliate and only seven D-League teams not owned by an NBA team. The league consists of two conferences, each with 11 teams split into two divisions, two with six and two with five. The
Greensboro Swarm and
Long Island Nets were placed into the Atlantic Division. The
Raptors 905 moved from the Atlantic Division, along with the newly formed
Windy City Bulls, to the Central Division. With the addition of the three expansion teams, to even out the conferences, the
Iowa Energy and
Sioux Falls Skyforce moved from the Central Division of the Eastern Conference to the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. ==Regular season==