The NBA has officially taken its biggest step yet toward expansion. All 30 team owners have voted in favour of exploring expansion opportunities in Las Vegas and Seattle, signalling what many around the league have long believed, expansion is no longer a question of if, but when.
“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 in a statement. “We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties.”
The decision kicks off a formal process that could eventually see the league grow from 30 to 32 teams. Expansion bids are expected to land between $7 billion and $10 billion per franchise, highlighting just how valuable NBA teams have become in recent years, according to ESPN sources.
The league is targeting the 2028–29 season as a potential starting point for the new teams, though a final decision has yet to be made. A second vote will be required later in the process, with at least 23 of 30 owners needing to approve the move.
To guide the process, the NBA has brought in investment bank PJT Partners to evaluate potential ownership groups, arena situations and the broader financial impact of expansion.
Both Las Vegas and Seattle present strong cases.
Las Vegas has rapidly grown into a major sports hub, already home to the NFL’s Raiders and the WNBA’s Aces, while also hosting major NBA events in recent years. Seattle, meanwhile, has a deep basketball history but has been without a team since 2008, when the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City.
If expansion is finalised, league executives expect a conference realignment, with one current Western Conference team, potentially Minnesota or Memphis, moving to the East to balance the league.
With franchise valuations continuing to skyrocket and new markets offering massive financial upside, the momentum toward expansion is building quickly, and the NBA’s next era may soon include two new cities.
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