NBA Prioritizing Vegas, Europe Expansion Ahead Of Seattle

The useful part

The move aims to lock in a premium franchise fee that would set a precedent for future expansion costs. There has been significantly more competition for the Las Vegas market compared to Seattle. Several groups remain in contention for the Las Vegas franchise even after Bob Iger and Josh Kushner exited the bidding to instead purchase the Los Angeles Lakers at a $12.5 billion valuation.

How it works

• It remains uncertain whether any expansion agreement will gain approval at the league's next Board of Governors meeting.
• It's all about the fee price." Reporters have suggested the Las Vegas expansion fee could range between $7.5 billion and $9 billion.
• Multiple sources told ESPN that Adam Silver and many league owners continue to also view NBA Europe as a higher priority than the Las Vegas expansion.
• The 16-team league is scheduled to launch in October 2027, but has yet to finalize which international cities will compete.
• That prioritization means even if Iger and Kushner had won the Las Vegas bid, they would have faced a considerably longer wait compared to the Lakers purchase they ultimately completed.

What to take from it

The teams continue to grow because the business is performing really well. It's probably better with the new players that have come in and the parity in the league, it's probably a better product than we've ever had.

Details worth keeping

Seattle sale, according to a league office source who spoke with ESPN. "We'll see what happens in September," said the source. "If they took a vote today, it wouldn't pass.