You know what a league that has been the topic of heavy criticism for the last couple of years needs? Change. And the NBA is one step closer to looking a lot different than it does today.
Next week, the NBA will hold a Board of Governors meeting to explore adding expansion teams in Las Vegas and Seattle. These teams could be part of the league as early as the start of the 2028–29 season.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the process will include an initial vote where the league explores the purchase process for Las Vegas and Seattle. Then there will be another vote, the final vote, later this year to finalize the decision. The league would need at least 23 of its 30 governors to vote in favor of expansion for this to happen.
This first vote will allow the league to explore purchase processes for Las Vegas and Seattle. There will then be a potential final vote later in the year to finalize transactions to 32 teams — if bids reach necessary threshold. In both voting rounds, 23 of 30 governors must… t.co/Xhmlbo48ZP
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 16, 2026This is coming at a very crucial time for the league, and there are three possible factors to thank for it.
The first is the success of other sports leagues in these cities, including the WNBA, NHL and NFL. The second reason is the wave of expansion happening across other leagues and the excitement it brings to both the sport and the city. Just look at the WNBA adding teams in Golden State, Toronto, Cleveland, and Portland over the last two years.
And, finally, the peak valuations of NBA teams. Over the past few years, the numbers from the sales of popular NBA teams in big markets have left people stunned. The sale of the Los Angeles Lakers at $10 billion, the Boston Celtics at $6.1 billion, the Dallas Mavericks at $3.5 billion, and even a team like the Charlotte Hornets at $3 billion have proven that owning an NBA team is extremely valuable in 2026. So placing a team in either Vegas or Seattle will come with a massive price tag.
© Kyle Terada-Imagn ImagesWhy Does the NBA Want a Team in Las Vegas?
Las Vegas has been on the radar of the league and other sports leagues for a while now.
The NHL was the first to expand to Vegas with the Golden Knights, followed by the NFL’s Raiders moving there and the formerly-Oakland A’s will join them whenever their ballpark is finished. Even Formula 1 has leaned into the market, adding the Cadillac F1 project and launching the Las Vegas Grand Prix to capitalize on what was once considered an untapped sports market.
For a long time, the only thing keeping leagues away was the city’s association with gambling, but clearly, that is no longer an issue.
The NBA has already tested the Vegas market. Whether it’s hosting the Summer League every year, staging the NBA Cup semifinals and finals there, or building a strong WNBA presence through the Las Vegas Aces, who joined the league in 2018.
The Aces are three-time WNBA champions and have built a basketball legacy around four-time MVP A’ja Wilson.
More importantly, there is already serious interest from potential ownership groups. LeBron James has publicly expressed interest in owning an NBA team in Las Vegas. Obviously not by himself, but the interest is there. And the league would certainly like to capitalize on that, while also keeping one of the sport’s biggest figures closely tied to the league after he retires.
"LeBron James is determined to be at the forefront of a Las Vegas expansion team in the future."— Woj ?(via @ESPNNBA)pic.twitter.com/S9g1NLTOp7
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 10, 2023 © Joe Nicholson-Imagn ImagesWhy Does the NBA Want a Team in Seattle?
The NBA already had a team in Seattle, the Seattle SuperSonics, who relocated in 2008 to Oklahoma City and became the Oklahoma City Thunder. That move took a team away from a city that had supported it for over four decades, and the fans were not happy about it then, and they’re still not happy about it today.
The league has already proven there is a market and strong interest in Seattle. Any future ownership group wouldn’t have to spend much time building a new identity, because the nostalgia surrounding the SuperSonics alone would fill seats before the team even plays its first game.
Seattle also wouldn’t have trouble attracting star power. Players like Kevin Durant have already expressed interest in playing in Seattle if the SuperSonics ever return to the league.
"To help run the team… that's a dream come true. That's probably one of the only things that I would really lock in like I was playing again."Kevin Durant on possibly getting involved with the Seattle SuperSonics post retirement.(via @boardroom)pic.twitter.com/oOY4nuNzRJ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 20, 2024Those factors make Seattle an easy sell, a city that already has jerseys and banners waiting in the rafters before the vote is even made. It would also be a way for the NBA to repair a broken relationship with a fanbase that felt like its heart was ripped out when the SuperSonics were taken away.
The NHL also expanded to Seattle before the 2021-22 season, bringing with the Kraken a new, state-of-the-art arena.
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