Where Seattle Sonics NBA expansion sits, per NBA commish and ESPN insider

A small update was given Tuesday on talks of NBA expansion, which is centered around a potential Seattle Sonics return as well as a new team that would play in Las Vegas. ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania also shared more info on what’s taking place behind the scenes Tuesday.

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Commissioner Adam Silver said that when expansion was talked about at this week’s owners meetings in New York, most of the focus was on Vegas. But that has to do with the fact that more variables are at play with the bidding for a potential Vegas team, which includes an unsettled arena situation.

That’s actually good news for Seattle Sonics expansion hopes, because Climate Pledge Arena, which opened in 2021 and is already home to the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and NHL’s Seattle Kraken, wouldn’t take much to be ready for an NBA team.

“It’s a much longer timeline before we can throw the ball up for NBA basketball (in Las Vegas),” Silver said. “On the other hand, in Seattle, we have had operational groups out to Climate Pledge. You clearly have a state-of-the-art arena there. May require some modifications for NBA basketball. If we were opening in five weeks, we could be ready in Seattle.”

Silver said the league is still tracking to decide before the end of 2026 on how to proceed in regards to expansion, and that the next next round of bids for expansion teams are coming soon.

Charania had more details when he spoke on ESPN’s NBA Today on Monday afternoon, stating that the league’s expansion conversation is in “deeper and deeper stages.” He said the next round of bids specifically for a Vegas expansion team are due Thursday, with final bids “expected to be some point shortly thereafter.”

“So far, the Vegas process has moved with more pace than Seattle, but those Seattle conversations are continuing as well,” Charania said.

Charania also had rough estimates of how much an expansion team in each city could cost and said the possible soonest season a new team could play remains just a couple years away.

“The league has been targeting as soon as the 2028-29 season for the start of these expansion teams, and they are also projecting both teams to be in the top 10 in terms of market and revenue share moving forward,” Charania said. “And so right now, Adam Silver is going to continue the bids process. It’s unclear when a final vote would be.

“I think over the next couple of months, we’re going to get clarity on the final offers, potentially $10 billion-ish in Las Vegas, potentially $7 billion range in Seattle, and then a potential vote to finalize expansion to 32 teams.”

The latest on the expansion process in Las Vegas and Seattle for NBA Today: pic.twitter.com/wgGF94mgRG

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 15, 2026

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