NBA to explore expansion opportunities in Seattle and Las Vegas after Board of Governors votes in favor of move

The NBA took its first major step toward bringing back the Seattle Supersonics on Wednesday. The league’s Board of Governors reportedly voted in favor of the NBA exploring expansion opportunities in both Seattle and Las Vegas, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The vote was expected, as Charania reported in mid-March that the league would put the issue up to a vote at its Board of Governors meeting later in the month.

The vote does not guarantee Seattle and Las Vegas will receive expansion teams in the near-future, but it allows the league to explore those opportunities. Given the amount of money at stake — Charania reported bids could be in the $7 billon to $10 billion range — it should not come as a major surprise that the Board of Governors allowed the league to move forward with the process.

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There are still a few more steps the league and Board of Governors must take before officially expanding to 32 teams. Wednesday’s vote was just the first step in the process. The league and Board of Governors will likely vote to finalize the motion later in the year, Charania reported in mid-March. He also stated that momentum was moving toward expansion being approved, as a “growing number of owners are believed to support” the idea. In order for the motion to pass, 23 of the league’s 30 owners need to vote in favor of it.

If the league is allowed to continue down this road, the NBA would likely look to add both teams to the league ahead of the 2028-29 season. If Seattle and Las Vegas both receive teams, they would be put in the Western Conference, which would lead to some team re-alignment around the league.

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For Las Vegas, the news opens up the possibility for the first-ever NBA franchise in the city. Las Vegas has shown the ability to support professional sports teams in recent year, with the NHL’s Golden Knights, WNBA’s Aces and NFL’s Raiders already in the city and MLB’s Athletics on the way.

Seattle hasn’t had an NBA franchise since the Supersonics left to become the Oklahoma City Thunder after the 2007-08 NBA season.

The NBA last expanded in 2004, when the Charlotte Bobcats — now the Hornets — started play.