The NBA’s return to Seattle could be moving closer to a reality.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver outlined the league’s potential expansion, saying the time is coming for adding new teams. Silver specifically mentioned Seattle and Las Vegas as potential expansion teams.
“There’s no doubt there’s enormous interest in Seattle,” Silver told reporters in Las Vegas on Monday. “That’s not a secret.”
Fans in Seattle have been waiting for a new team since Clay Bennett purchased the Seattle SuperSonics in 2006, moved the team to Oklahoma City and changed the nickname to the Thunder two years later. The Sonics had been in Seattle since 1968.
Las Vegas doesn’t currently have an NBA franchise, but the city does have the Las Vegas Aces, a WNBA team. The city also has the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. MLB’s Oakland Athletics are looking to move to Las Vegas.
The NBA holds a major portion of its Summer League schedule in Las Vegas and its new In-Season Tournament’s semifinals and final is scheduled to be held in Las Vegas.
Silver emphasized any expansion will occur after the league secures its media rights deals.
“We will turn to expansion once those new media deals are done,” Silver told reporters Monday. “It’s not a sure thing but, as I’ve said before, I think it’s natural that organizations grow over time.”
The league’s current media rights contract ends after the 2025 season.
The next league expansion would be its first in nearly two decades. The league’s last expansion occurred when the Charlotte Bobcats (now known as the Hornets) came into existence.
