The NBA is moving closer to expansion, with league officials increasingly open to adding new teams as soon as this summer, according to longtime insider Marc J. Spears.
Speaking on ESPN’s NBA Today, Spears revealed that a high-ranking NBA source described expansion as something the league is “leaning towards,” though it remains far from guaranteed.
“I talked to a high-level person in the NBA today and they said it’s leaning towards perhaps expansion coming soon this summer, but it’s not a no-brainer,” Spears said.
He added that the decision will depend heavily on the financial projections presented at the next Board of Governors meeting. Spears noted that while the league is thriving—with rising revenue from Africa, and China—owners must weigh whether it’s worth diluting their current stake in league-wide profits.
“When all these owners look at it, do you want to share the piece of the pie now?” Spears continued. “You go from 1/30th to 1/32nd long term, so you’re cutting more pieces of the pie.”
The league’s global expansion and surging franchise values are key drivers of the discussion. The Boston Celtics’ $6.1 billion sale in March—up from the Suns’ $4 billion mark just a year earlier—was followed by the Lakers reportedly being valued at $10 billion. Those valuations are expected to be ratified in July when owners meet in Las Vegas.
Such dramatic increases have raised expectations that any new franchise would require an entry fee close to $6 billion. With two expansion teams, current owners could each receive a one-time payout of around $400 million—revenue not subject to sharing with players under collective bargaining rules.
Commissioner Adam Silver has confirmed expansion is on the league’s radar, although no official steps have been taken yet. “There’s been no lack of interest,” Silver said in a recent press conference.
At the same time, the NBA and FIBA have formally announced plans to launch a professional men’s league in Europe. The joint project aims to strengthen European basketball while furthering the NBA’s global ambitions.
According to Spears, these international ventures play a significant role in the league’s economic calculus. “They’re making money with NBA Africa… They’re making a bunch of money in China,” he said.
