Big news in the NBA on Wednesday: the league announced the NBA’s Board of Governors has voted to permit the league to “explore bids and applicants for expansion teams exclusively in Las Vegas and Seattle.”
“Today’s vote reflects our Board’s interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle — two markets with a long history of support for NBA basketball,” commissioner Adam Silver said. “We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties.”
For the next few months, the league will now consider bids and appraise both markets. It sure sounds like an expansion to a 32-team league is happening, but it’s just a question of whether it will happen sooner rather than later. Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the two new clubs could start playing as soon as the 2028-29 season.
The NBA has brought in an investment bank, PJT Partners, to serve as its strategic adviser.
Charania reports the value each new franchise could generate is expected to range from a whopping $7-10 billion. The Los Angeles Lakers have fetched the most cash so far, procured by an ownership group helmed by Lincoln Park resident Mark Walter at a $10 billion valuation.
The Return of the Seattle SuperSonics?
This expansion vote news arrives on the heels of intriguing intel that Washington state governor Bob Ferguson had spoken with Silver on a Zoom this past Monday, and Kraken owner Samantha Holloway just bought a majority stake of Climate Pledge Arena as part of a new umbrella brand for the Kraken (the latest expansion addition to the NHL).
The NBA certainly owes Seattle a team — although whether it needs to expand to revive the Seattle SuperSonics has been a matter of some debate. The SuperSonics were a beloved NBA staple for decades. Seattle enjoyed its best seasons during the 1970s and 1990s.
A resurrected SuperSonics club would have a ready-made homecourt in Climate Pledge Arena, which opened in 2021 and currently houses the Seattle Kraken of the NHL, the Seattle Storm of the WNBA, and the Seattle University Redhawks men’s basketball team.
Climate Pledge Arena was known as Key Arena during Seattle’s playing days, serving off and on as the club’s home floor in 1967-78, 1985-94, and finally 1995-2008. But a massive overhaul of the facility has transformed it into a state-of-the-art arena.
The ’70s vintage Sonics were anchored by Hall of Famers Dennis Johnson and Jack Sikma, who propelled the team to consecutive Finals in 1978 and ’79, winning it all in ’79. Hall of Famer Gary Payton, six-time All-Star Shawn Kemp, and three-time All-Star Detlef Schrempf helped guide the SuperSonics to the 1996 NBA Finals, where they gave the 72-win Chicago Bulls all they could handle in a surprisingly competitive six-game series.
Owner Clay Bennett essentially stole the SuperSonics after one year, relocating the team to Oklahoma City in 2008 after balking at a lack of public funding for a new arena.
Steven Bisig-Imagn ImagesLas Vegas’ Surprising Road to an NBA Franchise
The NBA has developed a strong relationship with Las Vegas in recent years. The city has been the heart of July’s Summer League festivities for a while, and currently hosts the NBA Cup’s last two rounds.
Vegas also boasts a relatively new arena that could serve as the home for the new NBA expansion franchise. T-Mobile Arena, the home of the NHL’s Golden Knights, opened in 2016 and seats 17,500 for hockey. That arena isn’t exclusively used for hockey, however, so a basketball-specific renovation wouldn’t be a lot.
And the timeline suggest by Charania could make for a special year of hoops in Sin City. The NCAA men’s Final Four will be played in Las Vegas in 2028.
Louisville, Nashville, Kansas City, and international destinations like Mexico City, Montreal, and Vancouver (the latter of which did host the Grizzlies, after all) have all at some point been in the running for a new franchise. Why Las Vegas gets the opportunity over any of these other cities is somewhat beyond this writer.
Jaime Valdez-Imagn ImagesHence then, the article about nba votes to exclusively explore expansion to seattle las vegas was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( NBA Votes to Exclusively Explore Expansion to Seattle, Las Vegas )
Also on site :
- ‘Astonished’ Wolff slams fresh Verstappen-to-Mercedes speculation
- 5 Overseas batters who could have a breakout season in IPL 2026
- Cubs Roster Move: Dylan Carlson Officially Joins the Outfield Mix