The NBA D-League has been constantly been growing since the league was founded in 2001. More NBA teams are seeing the value of having their own D-League affiliate team.
Those that have a one-to-one affiliate utilize the D-League by sending down their players to get more minutes and reps.
Teams such as the Erie BayHawks, the Orlando Magic affiliate, are in the process of relocating to Florida to be in proximity of their parent club. The Salt Lake City Stars, the Utah Jazz affiliate, and Northern Arizona Suns, the Phoenix Suns affiliate, already relocated for next season to be closer to their parent club.