The NBA’s long-anticipated expansion process appears to be moving from discussion toward action. Shams Charania of ESPN reported Monday that the league will hold a vote at the Board of Governors meetings on March 24-25 to explore adding expansion teams exclusively in Seattle and Las Vegas, with the two franchises targeted for the 2028-29 season. According to Charania, the first vote would authorize the league to explore purchase processes, with bids projected by industry executives in the $7 billion to $10 billion range for each team.
This first vote will allow the league to explore purchase processes for Las Vegas and Seattle. There will then be a potential final vote later in the year to finalize transactions to 32 teams — if bids reach necessary threshold. In both voting rounds, 23 of 30 governors must… https://t.co/Xhmlbo48ZP
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 16, 2026
If that initial step is approved, the process would still not be finished. A second, later vote could come later in 2026 to finalize a move to 32 teams, provided the bids meet the league’s required threshold. In both rounds, 23 of the NBA’s 30 governors would need to vote in favor.
What makes this development notable is how sharply it differs from the league’s public posture just a month ago. In February, reporting on Commissioner Adam Silver’s comments indicated that the March meetings were expected to include further expansion discussions, but not a formal vote. The new report suggests the process has accelerated, at least to the point where owners may now be prepared to formally authorize the next stage.
Seattle and Las Vegas have long been viewed as the leading candidates if the league expands. Seattle has been without an NBA team since the SuperSonics relocated in 2008, while Las Vegas has steadily strengthened its position as a basketball market through the NBA Summer League, NBA Cup events and the city’s broader rise as a major-league sports hub. frontrunners.
If the governors approve the exploratory vote this month, the league would be taking its clearest formal step yet toward reshaping the map of the NBA. For Seattle, it would bring the possibility of finally restoring one of the league’s most painful absences. For Las Vegas, it would mark another major leap in a city that has moved from outsider to centerpiece in the modern American sports economy.
