The NBA is about to get a whole lot more interesting.
After plenty of foreshadowing that this would be coming, Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Wednesday that the league’s owners had voted for the next step toward expansion in fielding bids and applicants.
This would add two more teams to the Western Conference, and could mean the iconic SuperSonics will be back in the NBA before this decade ends, as Charania further detailed in an article.
The NBA’s board of governors has approved a vote for the league to explore bids and applicants for expansion teams exclusively in Las Vegas and Seattle.
All 30 owners voted in favor of exploring Las Vegas and Seattle expansion, sources told ESPN. A bidding process is expected to generate offers in the $7-10 billion range for each team, according to sources.
Sources told ESPN last week that the league is targeting the 2028-29 season for the two expansion franchises to start playing.
For the Lakers, this means two new teams will be joining the West, and someone will have to go East. Will it be the Wolves or the Grizzlies, or will some other team head East?
Adding two expansion teams also will likely necessitate a changing of divisions. Will the Lakers be grouped with the Las Vegas franchise? Will all the California teams remain in the same division? There is plenty of ripple effects of the league adding new franchises.
With teams like the Lakers selling for $10 billion, it’s no surprise the NBA would like to add two teams to the league and rack up record expansion fees.
Seattle has a huge fanbase and has proven there is demand for NBA action there, as evidenced by the success they had with the Sonics. The NBA already has a strong relationship with Las Vegas, hosting its Summer League games there every year since 2004.
With the NFL, MLB, and WNBA already proving that Vegas is a hotbed for professional sports, it was only a matter of time before the NBA added a team.
However, don’t expect LeBron James to be the owner of that new franchise.
James has stated before that he wanted to own a team once he retired, specifically in Las Vegas, but he has since changed his tune and now has no interest in doing so.
The path towards this conversation about adding these two, going from conceptual to reality, will take time. A bidding process still needs to take place, get approved, and then don’t forget to figure out all the details, like where the stadiums will be.
Still, it seems inevitable at this point, and unanimous approval is a clear sign that everyone is on board.
A lot still needs to be figured out, but it seems like a sure bet that Vegas and Seattle will play basketball sooner rather than later.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.