The NBA Board of Governors has approved a vote to explore the possibility of adding two new expansion franchises specifically in the Las Vegas and Seattle markets, as first reported by ESPN.
As a result of approving this vote, the bidding process to launch expansion franchises in Las Vegas and Seattle will officially begin, and is expected to generate offers in the $7 billion to $10 billion range for each new franchise.
The process will involve the NBA along with investment bank PJT Partners as a strategic advisor to evaluate potential markets, ownership groups, sector infrastructure and the macroeconomic implications of the expansion.
"Today's vote reflects our board's interest in exploring potential expansion in Las Vegas and Seattle – two markets with long histories of supporting NBA basketball," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in the league's press release. “We look forward to taking the next steps and engaging with interested parties.”
The idea of NBA expansion is no longer a consideration, as the board has officially begun the process of a 32-team league, with high-ranking executives telling ESPN that it's a matter of "when, not if."
At this time, there is no timeline for potential expansion bids to be evaluated or accepted, but given the amount of interest there is in these markets for NBA expansion, the process is expected to move quickly.
There was growing momentum among NBA board members, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, and members of the league office to approve this notion of expansion, especially with the revenue generated by new teams in Las Vegas and Seattle.
A potential final vote for expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle will be held later this year, which would officially take the league from 30 to 32 teams.
If Seattle makes a bid and is accepted, the NBA would welcome the return of the Seattle SuperSonics, who were disbanded when the franchise moved to Oklahoma and became the Oklahoma City Thunder.
If the SuperSonics were to return, all of their records and team history would be handed over to them by the Thunder, who do not already recognize the previous team's success as their own.
Along with Seattle, Las Vegas has long been viewed as the next stomping ground for a new NBA franchise, especially considering how long the league has been doing business with the city.
Not only has the NBA Summer League been held in Las Vegas during the offseason since 2004, but the NBA Cup has also held its semifinal and final rounds in Las Vegas since beginning in 2023.
The WNBA moved its San Antonio franchise to Las Vegas in 2018, becoming the Las Vegas Aces, and the NHL established the Las Vegas Knights as an expansion team in 2016.
MLB also officially announced the relocation of the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas in 2023, and they are building a new $2 billion stadium that is expected to be ready for the 2028 season.
With the NBA officially taking the next step to add two new franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas, the conversation has now turned to which current Western Conference franchises will move to the Eastern Conference to balance the league at 16 teams per conference.
It is expected that either the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Memphis Grizzlies will move east, with the Timberwolves seen as the likely favorite in this scenario.
