NBA: the league authorised to explore expansion franchises in Las Vegas and Seattle

"The NBA Board of Governors voted today to authorise the league to officially explore the possibility of an expansion in Las Vegas (Nevada, USA) and Seattle (Washington, USA)," the National Basketball Association announced on 25/03/2026.

The North American league is thus considering the creation of a 31^st and a 32^nd franchise in "two markets that have long supported NBA basketball," Adam Silver, NBA commissioner, said.

"As part of this process, the NBA has engaged investment bank PJT Partners as a strategic advisor to assess potential markets (through a bidding process), ownership groups, arena infrastructure and the broader economic implications of such an expansion," the league added.

"Industry executives are expecting bids of $7bn to $10bn (€6bn to €8.6bn) per franchise," according to US media outlet ESPN, which indicated on 16/03/2026 that new franchises could be integrated as early as the 2028-29 season. In order to maintain a balance of 16 franchises per conference (East/West), a realignment could be considered: the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Memphis Grizzlies could move to…