The NBA’s Board of Governors has sanctioned a vote for the league to investigate bids and candidates for expansion teams solely in Las Vegas and Seattle, sources informed ESPN.
A bidding initiative is anticipated to yield offers in the range of $7-10 billion for each franchise, according to sources.
Sources indicated to ESPN last week that the league aims for the 2028-29 season for the two expansion teams to commence play.
This vote initiates the NBA’s journey towards expanding to 32 teams. Numerous high-ranking officials have referred to expansion as “when, not if.”
The league will now review bids from Seattle and Las Vegas over the coming months, determining whether to proceed with the new franchise acquisitions in 2026 or in subsequent years. A potential final vote later this year will confirm the transactions to reach 32 teams. In both voting instances, 23 out of 30 governors must cast their votes in favor.
An increasing number of owners are thought to back expansion due to the anticipated long-term revenue growth for the league from the Las Vegas and Seattle markets.
The NHL has recently seen two of its expansions occur in Las Vegas with the Golden Knights (2017) and Seattle with the Kraken (2021). In the NFL, the Raiders relocated to Las Vegas in 2020, while Major League Baseball’s Athletics are in the process of making a similar move for the 2028 season.
Las Vegas has also been the home of the WNBA’s Aces since 2018. The Aces have secured three championships (2022, 2023, 2025) since their relocation.
Seattle has been without an NBA franchise since 2008, when the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City and rebranded as the Thunder. The Sonics participated in the NBA from 1967 until 2008 before departing due to a dispute regarding the lease for KeyArena, which owner Clay Bennett deemed outdated. The venue underwent significant renovations from 2018 to 2021 and is now known as Climate Pledge Arena, where the Kraken and WNBA’s Storm compete.
In the last four years, franchise valuations have skyrocketed. Mat Ishbia acquired the Phoenix Suns in December 2022 for a then-record valuation of $4 billion. In 2025, this record was surpassed multiple times: The Boston Celtics were sold to Bill Chisholm for a valuation of $6.1 billion, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers transitioning from the Buss family to Mark Walter for $10 billion, which remains the highest amount ever paid for a U.S. professional sports team. The Portland Trail Blazers were also sold to Tom Dundon in August 2025 for $4.25 billion.
NBA executives anticipate that either the Minnesota Timberwolves or Memphis Grizzlies will shift to the East to realign conferences with 16 teams each when Seattle and Las Vegas become Western teams.
The NBA last expanded in 2004 with Charlotte.
