The NBA is currently prioritizing Las Vegas in its expansion process before turning its attention to Seattle, according to Shams Charania.
“The NBA is focused right now on closing on the owner of the Las Vegas expansion team and then moving toward Seattle,” Charania said on NBA Today.
Charania cited the increasingly competitive bidding market in Las Vegas and the potential valuation of an expansion franchise as major reasons for the league’s current approach.
“One of the major ones being that there’s just a hotter bidding market right now developing in Las Vegas and you have rising valuations approaching $10 billion, potentially even higher,” Charania said.
The NBA’s next round of Las Vegas bids is due Thursday, with final proposals expected shortly afterward. Several ownership groups remain involved in the process, which has progressed further than the league’s expansion discussions in Seattle.
Charania also reported that the NBA could potentially finalize the Las Vegas ownership process first and then use the remaining interested groups to add competition to the Seattle process.
“I’ve also had some people close to the process tell me the NBA could close in Las Vegas and then see who the runner ups are that still have interest in joining the Seattle process. And that could bring some more competitiveness to that process,” Charania said.
The potential financial difference between the two markets has become one of the defining elements of the expansion process. Charania previously indicated that Las Vegas proposals could reach or exceed $10 billion, while Seattle bids could be around $7 billion.
“Over the next couple of months, we’re gonna get clarity on the final offers, potentially 10 billionish in Las Vegas, potentially 7 billion range in Seattle,” Charania said.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has confirmed that both markets remain under consideration as the league evaluates a potential expansion from 30 to 32 teams. The league has discussed several possible arena options in Las Vegas, including a significantly renovated T-Mobile Arena and proposals for new entertainment venues.
Silver has cautioned against selecting an arena site prematurely because multiple locations could potentially accommodate an NBA franchise.
In Seattle, the league has sent operational groups to Climate Pledge Arena to evaluate the venue. Silver described the arena as state-of-the-art while noting that some modifications could be necessary to accommodate NBA basketball.
The NBA is targeting the end of 2026 for greater clarity on the expansion process. However, no expansion teams have been formally approved, and the Board of Governors has yet to vote on adding franchises.
If approved, the expansion would bring the NBA to 32 teams, with Las Vegas joining the league for the first time and Seattle potentially marking the return of the SuperSonics. The potential expansion teams are currently targeted for the 2028-29 season.
The league has not yet determined expansion drafts, roster rules, team names or final arena arrangements. Those decisions would follow formal approval of the franchises.
