Owners of all 30 current NBA franchises have voted unanimously to explore options for expansion in Seattle and Las Vegas. Those two cities will be the only targets for expansion. Bids to start a franchise in either of the locales are expected to range between $7-10 billion. Expansion franchises are expected to begin play in the 2028-29 NBA season.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported the news this morning.
Seattle has not had an NBA franchise since the Seattle SuperSonics departed town in 2008, relocating
to become the Oklahoma City Thunder. Las Vegas has hosted NBA Summer League games since 2004 but has never been home to an NBA franchise.
Charania quotes NBA Commissioner Adam Silver following the vote:
“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,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Wednesday. “We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties.”
Charania also references “high-ranking officials” indicating that expansion is a matter of “when, not if”.
The next step in the process is exploration of viability, followed by another meeting of franchise owners:
The league will examine Seattle and Las Vegas bids over the next several months, and whether to execute the new franchise purchases in 2026 or in a few years. There will be a potential final vote later this year to finalize the transactions to 32 teams. In both voting rounds, 23 of 30 governors must vote in favor.
Assuming the new franchises are approved, the league will hold an expansion draft during which the newcomers can select incumbent players from current teams. Traditionally, each current franchise is able to protect a maximum of eight players on its roster from selection, with each team limited to a single player lost in the process.
