NBA to vote on Las Vegas, Seattle expansion teams with potential $10 billion fee

The NBA Board of Governors will discuss and vote on expansion during meetings on March 24-25, with the goal of adding two new franchises to begin play in the 2028-29 season. The targeted markets for these new teams are Las Vegas and Seattle.

For the expansion to proceed formally, a vote of at least 23 out of the 30 current team owners is required. Reports indicate the expansion fee for each new team is projected to be between $7 billion and $10 billion. This revenue would be distributed among the league's existing owners and would not be shared with the players.

Each potential city already has an arena option. In Las Vegas, the T-Mobile Arena, home to the NHL's Golden Knights with a capacity of 18,000, is a potential venue, though the city also hosts the NBA Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center. In Seattle, the Climate Pledge Arena, home to the NHL's Kraken and a redevelopment of the former KeyArena, is the likely home. KeyArena was previously the home of the Seattle SuperSonics from 1967 until the team relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008, and Seattle fans have maintained strong support for the franchise's return.

If approved, the new teams would likely begin playing in 2028. An expansion draft would be held the prior year, allowing existing teams to protect eight players from their rosters while the new franchises build 14-player teams.