While Las Vegas has attracted several high-profile ownership groups, Seattle’s pursuit of an NBA franchise has progressed at a slower pace.
Currently, the only publicly known bid is led by Seattle Kraken governor Samantha Holloway, who has been working to bring NBA basketball back to the city.
According to Front Office Sports, league sources believe the ongoing sale of the Seattle Seahawks may be drawing potential investors away from a Seattle expansion effort, limiting the number of competing ownership groups.
Despite that, Holloway’s group has spent years preparing for a possible NBA return.
The ownership group has designated multiple rooms inside Climate Pledge Arena as “NBA Locker Room” space and also holds a majority ownership stake in the arena, positioning itself well should the league decide to expand.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver reiterated before the Finals that Seattle remains alongside Las Vegas as the league’s top expansion candidate.
“We’re focused on Las Vegas and Seattle,” said Silver. “There are multiple groups interested in both cities.”
Even with both cities under consideration, Silver cautioned that expansion is not guaranteed.
The commissioner said the NBA plans to make a decision by the end of the year but acknowledged that outside economic conditions could influence the league’s timeline.
“There is enormous instability in the world at the moment,” he said in March. “We may ultimately conclude for reasons completely out of our control that it’s not the right time to expand.”
Silver has previously indicated that expansion franchise fees could be valued at up to $10 billion, with the money shared among the league’s existing 30 team owners.
Jerry Colangelo Leads New Las Vegas Bid As Seattle Interest Lags https://t.co/Sf3gijEtrf
— RealGM (@RealGM) July 9, 2026
