NBA Expansion: Seattle & Las Vegas in Focus

NBA eyes expansion 

The NBA explores adding teams in Seattle and Las Vegas, with a potential expansion to 32 clubs. Could this mean new teams for these sports-hungry cities?

“If we do move forward, I don't think there's going to be any concern about the quality of the competition...”

NBA expansion plans heat up - the Board of Governors has greenlit exploring Seattle and Las Vegas as potential homes for new teams.

This could bring the NBA to 32 clubs, with Seattle (where the SuperSonics used to play) and Las Vegas (host of NBA Summer League) in the mix.

“Our goal was in 2026 to resolve this issue one way or another,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. “We need to know by the end of this calendar year what it is that we're doing.”

This is a long game - commissioner Adam Silver says it could take years and might not even result in new teams, but Seattle and Vegas are in the running.

"At the earliest we would have new teams coming into the league in the 2028-29 season,” Silver said.

“If we do move forward, I don't think there's going to be any concern about the quality of the competition.”

The NBA's getting serious about expansion - they've brought in PJT Partners to assess the viability of Seattle and Las Vegas as new team locations, looking at ownership groups, arenas, and more.

“We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties,” Silver said.

The bar is high, any expansion would need 23 out of 30 NBA governors to vote yes.

“There was a discussion about dilution economically and dilution talent-wise,” Silver said. “It's my view we have ample talent to fill 32 competitive teams.”

NBA team values are on, a new franchise could cost between $7 billion to $10 billion, and that's a major investment.

“I'm not going to speculate on prices,” Silver said. “The market will determine the value of these teams and we'll decide whether or not to move forward. I expect there will be robust interest in these teams.

“We did not discuss franchise value per se in these meetings. We have a sense of where we think that value exists.”

Recent sales show the NBA's sky-high value - the Suns went for $4 billion in 2022, Celtics for $6.1 billion, and Lakers for a record $10 billion last year.

Commissioner Adam Silver says owners aren't worried about selling league equity - no concerns from the owners' side on this front.

“There weren't concerns,” Silver said. “There are some owners who felt we just frankly don't need to expand. They felt we're in a very solid place with the 30-team league we have now.

"I wouldn't put that in the category of concern. It more went in the category of considerations.”

The last time the NBA expanded was way back in 2004, when Charlotte joined the league.

“There's absolutely a chance that expansion will not happen. That's why we said we're exploring markets,” Silver said. “Where the uncertainly lies is in instability outside the league.”

This time it's different, commissioner Adam Silver says the NBA's focus is solely on Seattle and Las Vegas for expansion, unlike previous rounds that were more open.

“There are some other great markets that could host NBA franchises. This time around, the focus was on these two markets,” Silver said, calling them “unique” in supporting the league.

The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/SRIvFMcnlF

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) March 25, 2026

Conference Shuffle Possible with New Teams

Seattle and Vegas getting teams could mean Memphis or Minnesota switches to the East, balancing conferences at 16 teams each. The Sonics were an NBA team from '67 to '08, winning in '79 before moving to OKC.

Las Vegas is a sports hub, it hosts F1, USA Basketball camps, and more. The city has a solid track record too, having landed NHL expansion teams in recent years.

Both Vegas and Seattle have NFL teams and are adding MLB clubs soon - Vegas gets the A's in 2028, showing they're hot spots for sports.