The NBA will hold a vote at the board of governors meetings on March 24-25 to explore adding expansion teams exclusively in Seattle and Las Vegas, with the new franchises targeting the 2028-29 season to start play, [according to ESPN’s Shams Charania](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48221805/sources-nba-set-1st-vote-las-vegas-seattle-expansion).
Industry executives forecast proposals in the $7-10 billion range for each team, and there is momentum throughout the league to move forward with taking bids for the franchises, Charania reported. But this vote is just the start of the process.
> This marks the first of multiple critical steps toward NBA expansion. This first vote will allow the league to focus on Las Vegas and Seattle and have a bidding process for the teams. There will then be a potential final vote later in the year to finalize the transactions to 32 teams. In both voting rounds, 23 of 30 governors must vote in favor.
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> A growing number of owners are believed to support expansion because of the long-term revenue growth for the league from the Las Vegas and Seattle markets. Some owners remain hesitant on selling some of their shares and having their league equity go from 1/30 to 1/32, and want to see the final valuations of the bids plus the individual franchise fees before deciding whether to expand now or in a few more years.
Seattle has infamously been without a team since 2008, when the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder. This news today means [Seattle fans’ long nightmare](/2024/10/14/24268990/seattle-supersonics-nba-expansion-news-portland-trail-blazers-la-clippers-adam-silver-gary-payton) may finally be coming to an end.
Alongside news of the upcoming vote, two other interesting notes are tucked in at the end of Charania’s report: NBA executives anticipate either the Minnesota Timberwolves or Memphis Grizzlies to move to the Eastern Conference to realign conferences following the expansion. Plus, the NBA is moving forward with plans to bring a league to Europe, with final bids for prospective teams due at the end of March.