Getty
The NBA logo is seen outside an NBA fan store in New York on July 8, 2024. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images)
Over the last few years, there have been multiple rumors that the NBA was looking into possibly expanding. That is something that they have been looking into to increase revenue throughout the league. Over the last few weeks, those rumors have really heated up.
On Wednesday, the NBA Board of Governors held a vote to determine whether or not it was something they were going to explore. Expansion fees would give every owner an infusion of cash once they find the proper franchises, which is something they are all interested in.
The vote was held and approved, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Now, the NBA will have 32 franchises.
The NBA Votes to Expand to 32 Teams
It seems incredibly likely that Seattle will be getting one of the franchises. Charania mentioned that Seattle is an overwhelming favorite to land one of them. Las Vegas is seen as the other city that will likely be awarded a franchise, and now the NBA will figure out when the best time is to add the new teams.
This starts the NBA's 32-team expansion process. Multiple high-ranking officials have termed expansion as "when, not if." Now the NBA will examine Seattle and Las Vegas bids over the next several months, and whether to execute the new franchise purchases now or in a few years. https://t.co/Rkd0fZ41c7
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 25, 2026
The Seattle Supersonics were taken away from the city almost two decades ago. Ever since that moment, the league has been trying to find a way to get a team back in the city. The Portland Trail Blazers have been the only team in the Pacific Northwest for a while.
Having a franchise in Seattle seems almost a guarantee. There is no guarantee that the other franchise will be located in Las Vegas. There is a WNBA franchise in the city, but there are other cities that would certainly be interested in adding a team.
If both franchises are in the Western Conference, the league would need to move a team to the East. The Timberwolves, Grizzlies, and Pelicans have all been theorized as teams that could switch conferences. It seems likely that either Minnesota or Memphis moves.
The Timeline for Expansion Remains Murky
Now that the league will be expanding, how quickly that happens remains unclear. The league will now be looking at people who can accumulate bids in certain cities. Once those bids are taken care of, then the NBA can vote to approve a new team in a new city.
Charania notes that the process could take several months or a few years depending on different groups that could be engaged in the bidding process. The league has been looking for a Seattle group for a while. With that being the case, that likely won’t take as long as another ownership group.
The league expects the two new franchises to go for anywhere between $7 and $10 billion. That is the biggest reason why they voted to approve this. That would provide each owner with a massive amount of cash and increased media rights from the new deal that just took effect.
Seattle will likely have a new team soon. They will likely be called the Supersonics again. It’s unclear what the new name of a Las Vegas franchise would be, or what the team name would be in a different city.