National Basketball Association owners are preparing to vote on the league’s first expansion in more than 20 years, with Seattle and Las Vegas widely expected to secure the two new franchises.
According to reports from ESPN, the NBA is moving toward expanding from 30 to 32 teams, with the new franchises expected to begin play in the 2028–29 season. If approved, it would mark the league’s first expansion since 2004, when the NBA reached its current size of 30 teams.
Seattle and Las Vegas Lead the Race
League governors are expected to vote on an expansion framework that effectively limits the process to Seattle and Las Vegas, two markets considered among the most commercially attractive options for the league’s next phase of growth.
Both cities are believed to be capable of delivering strong ownership bids. League executives reportedly expect franchise valuations for the expansion teams to range between US$7 billion and US$10 billion each.
To formally approve the expansion process, 23 of the NBA’s 30 team owners must vote in favor.
Once approved, the league will begin accepting ownership bids from interested investment groups, with a second vote expected later in 2026 to finalize the expansion process.
Conference Realignment Likely
From a competitive standpoint, expansion will likely trigger a conference realignment. Because both Seattle and Las Vegas would join the Western Conference, the league is expected to move either the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Memphis Grizzlies to the Eastern Conference to maintain balance between the two sides of the league.
The Possible Return of the SuperSonics
For Las Vegas, an NBA team would represent the city’s first franchise in the league’s history.
Seattle’s story is different. The city was home to the historic Seattle SuperSonics until 2008, when the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The departure followed a long-running dispute over the aging KeyArena, which has since been rebuilt and reopened as the modern Climate Pledge Arena.
For years, any discussion of NBA expansion has included the possibility of bringing the SuperSonics back. With the league now preparing to vote on expansion, that long-awaited return appears closer than ever to becoming reality.