The NBA will discuss league expansion this summer in Las Vegas, one of the front-runners to land a potential franchise.
League officials and the 30 owners will formally discuss expansion for the first time during the NBA’s board of governors meeting in July, commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday during a SiriusXM interview.
“To get the existing owners’ views on potential expansion and how we would begin furthering the study of all the implications,” Silver said.
Those implications include the possible delusion of talent and economic impacts, mainly tied to adding two teams to the league that would share in the media rights deals.
“It’s just math,” Silver said. “That’s something that we have to look at as well.”
The league annually hosts the board meeting during the Las Vegas NBA Summer League, scheduled for July 10 to 20 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion.
After that meeting, the NBA would look to get a sense of what markets might be interested in landing an expansion franchise.
“Obviously I know there’s tremendous interest in Seattle, I know there’s tremendous interest in Las Vegas and several other cities as well,” Silver said.
Silver made it clear that the league had not begun any formal expansion talks.
He previously said the NBA had to get a new collective bargaining agreement and media rights deal in place before expansion was seriously considered. With both items checked off, the formal process on potential expansion can begin.
“Even to the extent that cities have reached out, and we said thank you for your interest, but we’re not ready to take meetings yet,” Silver said. “We will have that opportunity early this summer and to talk to all the different ownership groups in the NBA and get a sense.”
Silver didn’t offer a timeline on possible expansion.
“Expansion over time makes sense,” he said. “As to precise timing, I think we still need to work on that.”
Las Vegas has seen several notable figures express interest in being part of an ownership group, including LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and FloydMayweather.
Oak View Group and real estate firm LVXP have announced plans to build NBA-ready arenas in Las Vegas. Oak View last year pulled out of its previously announced site on Las Vegas Boulevard South and hasn’t announced where that project might end up. LVXP haven’t shared anything on its arena-resort project since announcing it last year.
Golden Knights owner Bill Foley has also expressed interest in owning an NBA expansion team and said he would upgrade T-Mobile Arena if he was successful in that bid.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.