A Much-Awaited Comeback to Seattle
The most recent addition of a new team to the NBA was when the Charlotte Bobcats joined in 2004, which brought the league to 30 teams.
The expansion talks are now gaining momentum again, with the tipping point being the Board of Governors meeting in July 2025 in Las Vegas. Seattle, with its storied basketball history, is the leading candidate to reclaim a franchise, 17 years since the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008.
The Sonics’ exit left a gap in a city that was once the home of legends Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, and supporters have since organized for their comeback, aided by the NBA-ready Climate Pledge Arena. Recent comments by Commissioner Adam Silver indicated the league is poised to make it official that it is investigating new markets, Seattle consistently mentioned in the same breath as Las Vegas, as a front-runner.
Talent on the Horizon
If Seattle gets a franchise, it will be critical to construct a competitive roster. The NBA expansion draft mechanism we last witnessed in 2004 with Charlotte permits incoming franchises to pick from unprotected players on current rosters, supplemented by free agency and the NBA Draft.
The 2025 batch, including the likes of Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, and VJ Edgecombe, presents the opportunity to acquire a franchise player. As an example, Flagg, a two-way forward projected to go first overall, would be the foundation of a new franchise.
Veterans like Chris Paul, who has been willing to return to a Los Angeles franchise, would provide leadership if they were free agents. Seattle’s franchise might also target young stars like Cam Whitmore or Jonathan Kuminga, who have been made available in trade rumors, to build a dynamic, young core. This kind of a blank slate to create a team is a dream scenario for the fans, as they can speculate who will end up on the team and follow how it works and develops from the beginning. However, even though the fans don’t have much of a say in real life, fantasy sports allow for just that, and with the Underdog Fantasy they do have a say in who’s getting drafted, plus the welcome bonuses like deposit match up and additional cash.
The priorities would probably be players who belong to an up-tempo, fan-friendly system to rekindle the city’s passion for basketball.
Who Else Is in the Run?
Though Seattle makes a good case, there are other cities competing for the franchise.
Las Vegas, with its new sports infrastructure and hosting of the NBA Summer League, is also a viable candidate. The city’s success with the NFL’s Raiders, NHL’s Golden Knights, and WNBA’s Aces makes it a natural for an NBA franchise.
Mexico City, with its enormous population of more than 22 million, has also been mentioned as a possible international market, indicating the league’s desire to go global.
Other U.S. cities such as Tampa-St. Petersburg, the largest media market that does not have an NBA franchise, might be part of the consideration as well. The estimated $4-5 billion expansion fee highlights the high stakes, with the sale of the Boston Celtics for $6.1 billion last year establishing a franchise valuation benchmark.
The July meeting will dictate which markets gain traction, but Seattle and Las Vegas are still the front-runners.
Impact on the Current NBA’s Structure
Expansion by teams, presumably to 32 for the NBA, would reshape the league alignment. The last expansion in 2004 required the realignment of divisions and the rescheduling of the 30-team format.
The same would happen, maybe dividing the league into four eight-team divisions or keeping the present six-division format with some slight adjustments. The schedule, now an 82-game season, might undergo a modest adjustment to account for travel, particularly if an international site such as Mexico City is added.
Expansion might thin out the talent initially, with the newer teams drafting from established rosters, but the NBA’s rich talent pool, as indicated by the strength of the 2025 draft, should help alleviate that. For the fans of the possible expansion markets, that might mean more games being played at home and the opportunity to forge new rivalries, making the league’s competitive and cultural landscape more diverse.
Uncertain Fate
The July 2025 meeting of the Board of Governors is a juncture for NBA expansion. Seattle’s basketball history and arenas present an intriguing argument, but Las Vegas and other markets add competition to the equation.
While the league considers economic and geographic variables, the possibility of new franchises has the potential to alter the league’s playingfield, offering new prospects for players and fans.
