The NBA’s long-anticipated expansion push moved into a new phase on Wednesday, when the league’s Board of Governors approved a measure allowing the NBA to formally explore bids and applicants for expansion teams in Las Vegas and Seattle.
Breaking: The NBA’s Board of Governors has approved a vote for the league to explore bids and applicants for expansion teams exclusively in Las Vegas and Seattle, sources tell ESPN. A bidding process is expected to generate offers in the $7-10 billion range for each team. pic.twitter.com/yEaLPjnTVf
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 25, 2026
The vote does not finalize new franchises, but it is a significant step toward a 32-team league and gives the NBA permission to move from broad interest to an organized evaluation process.
That matters because expansion has lingered for years as one of the league’s biggest unresolved questions. Seattle has remained the emotional center of the conversation ever since the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008, while Las Vegas has steadily strengthened its case by becoming one of the NBA’s most important event hubs through Summer League and other marquee showcases. In practical terms, the league is no longer just talking about possibility. It is now beginning the machinery of selection.
The financial stakes are enormous. Industry expectations are that the bidding process could produce offers in the range of $7 billion to $10 billion for each franchise. That kind of price would underline how dramatically team values have risen in modern professional basketball and why expansion, once treated cautiously, has become far more attractive to owners.
Commissioner Adam Silver framed the decision as the next stage in examining two markets with deep basketball ties. According to ESPN, Silver said,
“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.”
There is still distance between exploration and arrival. The league will examine the bids over the coming months, with a later vote potentially required to finalize expansion to 32 teams. That final step would again require support from at least 23 of the league’s 30 governors. If the process continues on its current track, the target for new teams to begin play is widely viewed as the 2028-29 season.
If it happens, the impact will reach beyond those two cities. Expansion would likely trigger conference realignment, because adding Seattle and Las Vegas would leave the league needing to balance East and West. It would also reopen a larger conversation about talent distribution, scheduling, league economics and what a bigger NBA should look like in an era when the sport’s business has never been more powerful.
