[4] On February 25, 2009, the NBA Development League (D-League) awarded the city of Portland, Maine, with an expansion franchise.

[6] On April 2, 2009, "Red Claws" was announced as the winning name after a name-the-team contest,[7] beating out Beacons, Crushers, Destroyers, Swarm, and Traps.

The name and logo gave homage to the lobster fishing industry, a major economic engine of the New England area.

[12][13][14] On July 16, 2014, the Red Claws announced that Mike Taylor would not return for a third season as the team's head coach.

[20] On December 7, 2019, Bryce Brown set a franchise record with scoring 11 of 11 three-pointers for the Red Claws in a 128–123 loss to the Delaware Blue Coats.

The following 2020–21 season was then delayed due to the ongoing pandemic-related restrictions and eventually held at a single location in Orlando, Florida.