NBA Owners Set to Vote on Expansion: Seattle and Las Vegas Could Join the League by 2028-29
The NBA hasn’t added a franchise since the Charlotte Bobcats joined the league in 2004. That drought could be over within months.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the NBA’s board of governors will vote at their March 24-25 meetings in New York on whether to formally explore adding expansion teams in Las Vegas and Seattle. Both franchises are being targeted to start play in the 2028-29 season — and there is significant momentum among owners and the league office to approve the move.
This is not the final green light. It’s the first of two critical votes. If 23 of the league’s 30 governors approve next week’s measure, it will authorize the NBA to begin soliciting expansion bids exclusively from groups in those two cities. A binding final vote to lock in the expansion to 32 teams is expected later this year, likely at the July board of governors meeting during Las Vegas Summer League.
The Price Tag Is Eye-Popping
Industry executives project expansion proposals in the $7 billion to $10 billion range per team, reflecting the surge in franchise valuations over the past four years. If both teams sell for a combined $15 billion, each of the league’s 30 existing owners would pocket north of $300 million — a powerful incentive that has driven growing support for the plan.
Commissioner Adam Silver signaled this was coming. At the NBA Cup championship game in Las Vegas last December, Silver stated the league would decide on expansion in 2026. That timeline appears to have accelerated after Silver gauged support among the owners and found enough backing to move forward.
Seattle Gets Its Shot at Redemption
Seattle has been without an NBA team since the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 — an 18-year wound that still stings for one of the most passionate basketball cities in America. Samantha Holloway, the daughter of late billionaire David Bonderman and current owner of the Seattle Kraken (NHL), has long said she would lead an expansion bid if the league opened the door.
Las Vegas, meanwhile, has emerged as a sports juggernaut over the past decade, successfully hosting the NFL’s Raiders, the WNBA’s Aces, the NHL’s Golden Knights, and serving as home to the NBA’s Summer League and All-Star festivities. The city has proven it can support major professional franchises.
Conference Realignment on the Table
Adding two teams to the Western Conference would force a realignment. ESPN reports the likely candidates to shift to the Eastern Conference are the Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies, or New Orleans Pelicans. All three are geographically closer to Eastern Conference opponents, and league executives expect one of them to make the move to balance the conferences at 16 teams each.
An expansion draft is also expected, which would expose players from all 30 current rosters. Contending teams would face tough decisions about which players to protect — a process that always injects drama and controversy into the league.
The Salary Cap Wrinkle
New expansion franchises wouldn’t get the same financial runway as established teams. Under existing CBA rules, an expansion team’s salary cap would be set at roughly two-thirds of the league cap in Year 1 — estimated at around $121.9 million compared to a projected $183 million for existing teams. They’d reach 80% in Year 2 and full parity by Year 3.
What It Means
If this vote passes next week — and all signs suggest it will — the NBA is about to enter a transformative era. The league will grow to 32 teams, the SuperSonics will almost certainly return to Seattle, and Las Vegas will cement itself as arguably the sports capital of America. Fans should expect the final deal to be done before the year is out.
The NBA hasn’t expanded in 22 years. The wait is nearly over.
