NBA Board of Governors to Vote on Expansion Teams in Seattle, Las Vegas

All 30 NBA owners voted in favor of exploring Las Vegas and Seattle expansion on Wednesday, a unanimous show of force that moves the league closer to its first new franchises since the Charlotte Bobcats joined in 2004.

The Board of Governors gave the go-ahead for Commissioner Adam Silver to begin holding formal talks with prospective ownership groups in Seattle and Las Vegas, with the possibility of adding two expansion franchises to the league as soon as the 2028-29 season. "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," Silver said in a statement Wednesday. "We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties."

A bidding process is expected to generate offers in the $7-10 billion range for each team. To put that figure in context, the Los Angeles Lakers sold for $10 billion and the Boston Celtics sold for $6.1 billion in recent transactions that have helped set benchmarks for franchise valuations. Industry executives estimate both markets would rank among the NBA's top eight revenue generators if awarded teams. The league said investment bank PJT Partners has been brought on "as a strategic adviser to evaluate prospective markets, ownership groups, arena infrastructure, and the broader economic implications of expansion."

Wednesday's vote is only the first of two required approvals. The league will examine Seattle and Las Vegas bids over the next several months, and there will be a potential final vote later this year to finalize the transactions to 32 teams, with 23 of 30 governors required to vote in favor in both rounds. The binding vote is expected as soon as the July Board of Governors meeting during the Las Vegas Summer League.

Seattle's case carries decades of unfinished business. Eighteen years after the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City, the NBA may be just one step away from returning to the city. The Sonics played in Seattle from 1967 through 2008 before the franchise relocated over a dispute about the KeyArena lease, with owner Clay Bennett arguing the venue was outdated. The arena underwent extensive renovations from 2018 to 2021 and is now Climate Pledge Arena, home to the NHL's Seattle Kraken and the WNBA's Seattle Storm, and would likely serve as the NBA's home court if a franchise is awarded.

One complication looms for Seattle's bid: a proposed "millionaires tax" that passed the Washington Legislature is heading to the governor's desk, and reporters have flagged it could have ripple effects on the city's professional sports teams and any organized effort to bring the NBA back.

There is only one group that has made its intention known in Seattle: One Roof Sports and Entertainment, the Kraken's umbrella group, which was unveiled this week.

Las Vegas presents a different profile entirely. The NHL's Golden Knights expanded there in 2017 and the Seattle Kraken followed in 2021; in the NFL, the Raiders moved to Las Vegas in 2020; and MLB's Athletics are in the process of relocating for the 2028 season. The WNBA's Aces have called the city home since 2018. Silver himself acknowledged the city's pull in 2025, saying, "I feel like we already have the 31st franchise here."

High-profile figures have been circling a potential Las Vegas ownership stake for some time. LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, and Magic Johnson have all expressed interest. O'Neal told reporters in Las Vegas in June: "I want to be heavily involved if it's here. Like heavily, heavily involved." There is also considerable speculation that a new ownership group could build a purpose-built arena further down the Las Vegas Strip, anchoring an entirely new resort and casino complex.

If Seattle and Las Vegas both receive teams, they would be placed in the Western Conference, which would lead to some realignment around the league. Under a TSN projection of the salary-cap mechanics, an expansion team entering in 2028-29 would begin with a cap of $121.9 million, compared with a projected $183 million for existing franchises, rising to 80 percent of the league cap in Year 2 and the full cap in Year 3. The addition of two teams would also create 30 new standard roster spots, a development the National Basketball Players Association is expected to strongly support even though the union holds no formal vote on expansion itself.

Wednesday's vote was just the first step in the process, with the league and Board of Governors likely to vote to finalize the motion later in the year. For a city that has waited 18 years, and a desert market that has spent nearly a decade proving it can sustain major professional sports, that later vote may be the one that truly changes everything.