NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed that expansion will be on the agenda at the Board of Governors meeting this July in Las Vegas.
In an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio, Silver said the July session will give team owners a chance to formally weigh in on potential expansion markets and the implications for the league’s long-term structure.
“I think at this point we have an NBA Board meeting in July in Las Vegas, and my sense is it will be on the agenda to discuss with full ownership,” Silver said.
He emphasized that no formal process has started but acknowledged “tremendous interest” from cities like Seattle and Las Vegas.
“Obviously, I know there’s tremendous interest in Seattle, I know there’s tremendous interest in Las Vegas and several other cities as well,” Silver noted.
Silver stressed that economic considerations will play a key role in the discussions, including how expansion could affect the league’s media revenue distribution and player talent pool.
“There’s an impact on the dilution of talent, of course an economic impact in that presumably we were to expand, let’s say an even number of teams – two teams, it means there’s a division of our media deal by two additional partners et cetera,” he explained.
While the NBA has received informal outreach from interested markets, Silver said the league is not yet holding direct talks with cities.
“Just to be clear, we haven’t begun any sort of process,” he added. “Even to the extent the cities reached out we’ve said ‘Thank you for your interest but we’re not ready to take meetings yet.’”
Seattle has long been viewed as a potential expansion site, especially since the SuperSonics’ relocation to Oklahoma City in 2008.
Las Vegas has gained traction in recent years with the arrival of major sports franchises and its increasing national profile.
Silver stated that expansion is likely to happen in the future but did not commit to a timeline.
“I’ll lastly say expansion I think over time makes sense. As to precise timing I think we still need to work on that,” he concluded.
The NBA last added a franchise in 2004, when the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) entered the league as the 30th team.
The upcoming July meeting could provide the first formal step toward reshaping the NBA’s footprint amid rising market interest and record-high franchise valuations.
