NBA Expansion to Seattle and Vegas Seems to be in the Works

By: Jordan Kaplan

April 7, 2026

Photo Credit: Front Office Sports

NBA fans and media have been speculating about a possible expansion for years. There have been many conversations through social media, podcasts, and press conferences regarding the hopes of an expansion, the desire to create new competition, and the idea that there are too many talented players for just 30 teams. Recently, there has been a monumental step taken to dictate that expansion is coming soon.

When the Seattle Supersonics relocated and became the OKC Thunder in 2008, many fans were upset. Seattle is viewed as an elite sport market and one that deserves an NBA team. Simultaneously, Las Vegas has become a hotspot for professional sports, as the Raiders relocated there from San Francisco in 2020, the Golden Knights played their first game in Vegas in 2017, and the Aces moved there in 2018. Also, the Oakland Athletics will be moving to Vegas beginning in 2028. The popularity and momentum of Las Vegas sports signals that an NBA team will come one day.

This month, in March, the NBA announced they’ll be having a Board of Governors meeting to vote on possibly expanding to Seattle and Las Vegas. If the vote goes through, the teams would begin in the 2028-2029 season. NBA insider Shams reported “There is momentum for stakeholders to approve surveying what industry executives project will be bids in the $7-to-$10 billion range for each team.”

Industry executives also expect the two teams to be in the top 8 NBA revenue generators. From a league standpoint, if those projections are accurate, there would be no question as to why Adam Silver would want to move forward with it. The market appeal of the two big cities and “parity-friendly bargaining agreement” would create a big purchase per ESPN.

After years of talks and rumors, this has been the first significant step the NBA has taken to move forward with the process. It’s an exciting team for the league and its fans, and can possibly even out the talent across the league. There would be a draft help, consisting of all the players in the league. Each team would have the right to protect 8 of their players. Other than that it’s fair game for both the two new teams.

This vote will be specifically for the two markets, which will then open the door for a bidding war. There will then be a later vote to finalize the league being 32 teams. For both votes, there needs to be 23/30 governors on board. There will definitely be mixed feelings from governors as some will want to protect their share value.

Nonetheless, it’s an exciting time for the NBA. There hasn’t been a new team since 2008, and the idea of a team back in Seattle and new one in Vegas will definitely spark interest and revenue.