Vegas and Seattle a step closer to getting NBA teams. League's owners approve expansion exploration

It was not a surprise move; expansion has been a consideration for years, and it's been clear for some time that those two cities — both with longstanding ties to the NBA — are the ones that are now a significant step closer toward joining the league.

Las Vegas, the league's summer home for years and site of the first NBA Cup championship games, has been clamoring for an NBA team since at least the late 1990s, if not even longer. And Seattle has been waiting for the SuperSonics to return for nearly two decades.

The ball is essentially now in their courts.

“I think Seattle and Las Vegas, in terms of their history and support of NBA basketball, are unique in terms of available markets in the U.S. right now," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. "No knock on any other markets. Those are just the markets we’re focused on.”

What the league's board of governors voted to approve is being called an exploration of “potential team expansion.” Prospective ownership groups will now be tasked with putting together their bids and plans in an effort to prove to the league that they're worthy of owning NBA franchises.

Expansion is not guaranteed, Silver reiterated. The league could add no teams, one team or two teams. And there was discussion of what adding teams will mean both economically and on the court; stockpiling two new clubs with players means existing teams will lose some talent in that process.

“There are some owners who felt that we just frankly don’t need to expand," Silver said. "They didn’t necessarily seem concerned going forward, but they felt we’re at a very solid place with the 30-team league we have now.”

The league said investment bank PJT Partners has been brought on “as a strategic adviser to evaluate prospective markets, ownership groups, arena infrastructure, and the broader economic implications of expansion.”

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson applauded the vote, saying “the time is right.”

Seattle had an NBA team from 1967 through 2008, when the Sonics — who won the 1979 title — left to become the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Various groups have lobbied to bring the team — or a team — back ever since.

“Bringing the Sonics back is a top priority, and the state will be a strong partner in this effort," Ferguson said. "I plan to be there at tipoff with thousands of fellow fans when the Sonics return.”

Las Vegas has been part of the league for decades. The NBA’s Summer League is held in Las Vegas each year and has become a can’t-miss event for league executives, coaches, media, agents and even players who aren’t taking part in the games.

And the city used to play host to the occasional regular-season game; for example, in 1984, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers broke the league’s career scoring record in a game against the Utah Jazz — who used Las Vegas for some of their home games at that time.

The idea of putting a franchise there might have seemed unlikely a couple of decades ago. Not anymore, especially not with the NFL’s Raiders, the NHL’s Golden Knights and the WNBA’s Aces all already there and with Major League Baseball on the way.

“Today’s vote by the NBA Board of Governors is a testament to the incredible growth we’re seeing in Southern Nevada and our state’s business-friendly environment,” Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo said. “Las Vegans have already shown unwavering support for our professional sports franchises, and a new NBA team will provide even more entertainment, more jobs, and more small business growth for the region.”

Now that this step is complete, there are many issues to decide. A partial list:

• The expansion fee, which is expected to be at least $6 billion.

• The timeline for adding the clubs. It seems like the 2028-29 season would almost certainly be the earliest that could happen.

• The ripple effect. If both Las Vegas and Seattle get teams, they would certainly be in the Western Conference. To avoid having 17 teams in one conference and 15 in the other, the league would look to move a current West team into the Eastern Conference. Geographically, New Orleans, Memphis or Minnesota would be the most logical candidates to move into the East.

New Orleans guard Dejounte Murray was 11 years old when Seattle last had an NBA team. He grew up with hopes of being like Gary Payton, Ray Allen and Shawn Kemp, and even remembers a rookie who played for the SuperSonics named Kevin Durant.

“It’s a basketball city, basketball culture, so it’s mandatory I think that they get it back over there,” said Murray, a Seattle native.

Added Orlando's Paolo Banchero, another Seattle native: “I think it’s been a long time coming for the city. I think everybody was pretty bummed out when they left. And since then, it’s just been waiting and hoping that one day they will come back. I’m sure with the news, everybody’s excited. I know I’m excited for all the kids growing up because Seattle’s a really big basketball city.”

Golden State coach Steve Kerr said the SuperSonics were “one of the iconic franchises in the NBA.”

“I was shocked when the league left Seattle,” Kerr said. "Incredible fan base. Great basketball market. A ton of talent coming from Seattle. Top 10 media market. Incredible sports city. So, it was kind of shocking to all of us when the league left Seattle. And I think we all hoped it would be a lot sooner than 18, 19 years, whatever it’s going to be, before they got back in the league.

“They belong in that city, and a team belongs there,” he added. “Those fans deserve it.”