NBA Owners Prepare to Vote on Multi-Billion Dollar Expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle
Las Vegas, Monday, 16 March 2026.
The NBA will vote next week on expanding to Seattle and Las Vegas. Remarkably, prospective ownership bids for these lucrative new franchises are projected to reach $10 billion each.
The Mechanics of the Expansion Vote
Scheduled for March 24 and 25, 2026, the NBA’s board of governors will convene to formally explore adding two new franchises [2][4]. To proceed with the bidding process, the measure requires the approval of 23 out of the current 30 team governors [1][2][5]. If this initial hurdle is cleared, the league will officially open the marketplace to prospective ownership groups, with a final, binding vote anticipated later in 2026 [1][2]. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver noted last month that the league is prepared to determine the market value of these franchises and assess interested parties, though some owners still wish to review final bid valuations before committing to immediate expansion [alert! ‘Timing of final approval depends on owners accepting the financial terms presented in upcoming bids’] [2].
Reclaiming Basketball in the Pacific Northwest
For Seattle, the expansion represents the end of a nearly two-decade drought. The city has been without an NBA franchise for 18 years, ever since the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 following a highly publicized arena lease dispute involving owner Clay Bennett [1][5]. Prior to their departure, the Sonics had been a staple of the Seattle sports landscape from 1967 to 2008 [1][5]. Today, Seattle stands as the second-largest media market in the United States without an NBA team, making it a highly logical target for the league’s growth [3]. The city recently demonstrated its strong appetite for major league expansion when it welcomed the NHL’s Kraken in 2021 [1].
Las Vegas: The New Capital of Sports
While Seattle seeks a return to its basketball roots, Las Vegas is looking to crown its rapid ascent as a premier global sports destination. The city has never hosted an NBA team, but its sports landscape has transformed dramatically over the last decade [3][5]. Las Vegas successfully integrated the NHL’s Golden Knights in 2017 and the NFL’s Raiders, while the WNBA’s Aces—who arrived in 2018—have already secured championships in 2022, 2023, and 2025 [1][3]. Furthermore, Major League Baseball’s Athletics are slated to begin play in Las Vegas in 2028 [1][3][5]. Political and business leaders are already mobilizing; Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo met with Commissioner Silver last week to discuss the market, and NBA legend Magic Johnson has reportedly held discussions with Lombardo regarding a potential ownership group [5].
League Alignment and Future Implications
If the expansion is finalized, the two new franchises are targeted to begin play in the 2028-2029 NBA season [1][4][5]. Adding Seattle and Las Vegas would increase the league’s roster to 32 teams, marking the first time the NBA has expanded in 22 years, since the addition of the Charlotte franchise in 2004 [1][2][3][5]. Because both prospective cities are located in the Western United States, the expansion will necessitate a conference realignment to maintain scheduling symmetry [2][3]. Current expectations suggest that either the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Memphis Grizzlies would be shifted to the Eastern Conference to balance the league’s geography [2].