{"id":235281,"date":"2026-03-25T19:31:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T19:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/25\/nba-boss-given-expansion-green-light-as-forgotten-franchise-edges-closer-to-landmark-return\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T19:31:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T19:31:00","slug":"nba-boss-given-expansion-green-light-as-forgotten-franchise-edges-closer-to-landmark-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/25\/nba-boss-given-expansion-green-light-as-forgotten-franchise-edges-closer-to-landmark-return\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA boss given expansion green light as forgotten franchise edges closer to landmark return"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The NBA Board of Governors voted on Wednesday to authorize the league to explore potential expansion teams for Las Vegas and Seattle that would bring the league to 32 clubs.<\/p>\n

The move is the first step in a lengthy process that could see new teams in Seattle, where the SuperSonics once played, and Las Vegas, which each year hosts NBA Summer League games involving young players.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOur goal was in 2026 to resolve this issue one way or another,\u201d NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. \u201cWe need to know by the end of this calendar year what it is that we\u2019re doing.\u201d It\u2019s a multi-year process, Silver stressed, that could result in one or two new NBA clubs or none at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the earliest we would have new teams coming into the league in the \u201828-\u201929 season,\u201d Silver said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we do move forward, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s going to be any concern about the quality of the competition.\u201d The NBA engaged investment bank PJT Partners as a strategic adviser to evaluate markets, ownership groups, arena infrastructure and economic implications of two new teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties,\u201d Silver said.<\/p>\n

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NBA commissioner Adam Silver greets NBA referee Ashley Moyer-Gleich as he arrives for an NBA basketball game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo\/Jenny Kane)<\/span>Source: AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It would take approval by 23 of the NBA\u2019s 30 governors to pass any motion on adding new teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a discussion about dilution economically and dilution talent-wise,\u201d Silver said. \u201cIt\u2019s my view we have ample talent to fill 32 competitive teams.\u201d Team values have skyrocketed in recent years with the price tag for a new club expected to be around $7 billion to $10 billion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to speculate on prices,\u201d Silver said. \u201cThe market will determine the value of these teams and we\u2019ll decide whether or not to move forward. I expect there will be robust interest in these teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did not discuss franchise value per se in these meetings. We have a sense of where we think that value exists.\u201d The Phoenix Suns were sold in 2022 for $4 billion. The Boston Celtics were sold last year for $6.1 billion and the Los Angeles Lakers were sold last year for $10 billion — the highest-ever price paid for a US sports team.<\/p>\n

Silver said there were no \u201cconcerns\u201d by team owners about selling league equity. \u201cThere weren\u2019t concerns,\u201d Silver said. \u201cThere are some owners who felt we just frankly don\u2019t need to expand. They felt we\u2019re in a very solid place with the 30-team league we have now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t put that in the category of concern. It more went in the category of considerations.\u201d The NBA last expanded to Charlotte in 2004.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s absolutely a chance that expansion will not happen. That\u2019s why we said we\u2019re exploring markets,\u201d Silver said. \u201cWhere the uncertainly lies is in instability outside the league.\u201d Silver said that unlike past expansions open to many markets, the league was focused on Seattle and Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are some other great markets that could host NBA franchises. This time around, the focus was on these two markets,\u201d Silver said, calling them \u201cunique\u201d in supporting the league.<\/p>\n

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NBA Wrap: Lakers maintain hot streak! | 02:24<\/p>\n

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– Sporting hotbeds –<\/b><\/p>\n

Should Seattle and Las Vegas land expansion teams, either Memphis or Minnesota would likely shift from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference to give each 16 clubs.<\/p>\n

The Seattle SuperSonics joined the NBA in 1967 and won the city\u2019s only NBA title in 1979 before moving to Oklahoma City in 2008 and winning last year\u2019s NBA crown.<\/p>\n

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Basketballer Gary Payton (front) with Stephon Marbury. USA NBA basketball – Seattle Supersonics vs Minnesota Timberwolves match.<\/span>Source: AFP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Las Vegas hosts many sporting events, including a Formula One race and USA Basketball training camps.<\/p>\n

Both cities landed successful NHL expansion teams in the past decade. Each has an NFL team and both will have MLB clubs when a new Vegas stadium opens for the former Oakland Athletics in 2028.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The NBA Board of Governors voted on Wednesday to authorize the league to explore potential expansion teams for Las Vegas and Seattle that would bring the league to 32 clubs. The move is the first step in a lengthy process that could see new teams in Seattle, where the SuperSonics once played, and Las Vegas, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":235282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[1800,71375,71376,7246,2052,2613,1808,5868,3646,2066,71377,71380,1788,71383,70989,71379,16840,1425,2105,71378,11800,1797,5257,2092,1928,2546,1964,3033,21017,11824,1533,4159,1809,3362,2628,2610,2706,67758,1645,71384,2708,2699,2588,2114,6850,5542,5534,71385,71381,57089,5561,2082,71382,1792,2155,5818],"class_list":{"0":"post-235281","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-arena-infrastructure","10":"tag-ashley-moyer-gleich","11":"tag-basketball-game","12":"tag-boston","13":"tag-boston-celtics","14":"tag-california","15":"tag-charlotte","16":"tag-chase-center","17":"tag-chicago-bulls","18":"tag-day-droughtbasketball","19":"tag-engaged-investment-bank","20":"tag-espn-inc","21":"tag-expansion-green","22":"tag-expansion-teams","23":"tag-forgotten-franchise-edges","24":"tag-gary-payton","25":"tag-getty-images-inc","26":"tag-kevin-durant","27":"tag-landmark-return","28":"tag-las-vegas","29":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","30":"tag-major-league-baseball","31":"tag-massachusetts","32":"tag-memphis-grizzlies","33":"tag-michael-jordan","34":"tag-minnesota-timberwolves","35":"tag-national-football-league","36":"tag-national-hockey-league","37":"tag-nevada","38":"tag-north-america","39":"tag-north-carolina","40":"tag-northern-america","41":"tag-oakland-athletics","42":"tag-oklahoma","43":"tag-oklahoma-city","44":"tag-oregon","45":"tag-ownership-groups","46":"tag-phoenix-suns","47":"tag-pjt-partners","48":"tag-portland","49":"tag-portland-trail-blazers","50":"tag-press-conference","51":"tag-price-tag","52":"tag-san-francisco","53":"tag-seattle","54":"tag-seattle-supersonics","55":"tag-special-sporting-events","56":"tag-spencer-haywood","57":"tag-sports-team","58":"tag-state-of-washington","59":"tag-stephon-marbury","60":"tag-team-values","61":"tag-united-states-of-america","62":"tag-utah-jazz","63":"tag-winning-streak"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235281\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}