Three ownership groups remain and the league aims to approve two expansion teams by year-end. Las Vegas appears to be moving faster than Seattle, and a new arena could be part of the winning bid.
The combined cost of a Las Vegas franchise and a new arena is reported at least $12 billion to $13 billion, with the league targeting approval of two expansion teams by the end of December.
If the Foley-Colangelo group wins, construction of a new arena is expected rather than relying on T-Mobile Arena.
Vegas expansion franchise. League plans call for formal approval of two expansion teams by the end of December.
Three ownership groups remain in contention:
Reports put the combined cost for a Las Vegas team and a new arena at a minimum of $12 billion to $13 billion. While T-Mobile Arena has been discussed as an option, sources say a new arena is expected if the Foley-Colangelo bid succeeds. The arena choice is a factor in the league's evaluation of bids.
Las Vegas currently appears to be ahead of Seattle in the process. Two reasons noted in reporting:
The league is progressing through advanced stages of the expansion process. Final bid rounds and deadlines have been reported as approaching, and owners have discussed expansion at recent meetings. The league's stated objective is to complete approvals for two expansion teams by the end of December.
What this means for Las Vegas and the NBA
If awarded, a Las Vegas franchise would add another major professional team in a market already home to the NFL's Raiders and NHL's Golden Knights, with MLB's Athletics scheduled to arrive in 2028. The potential franchise would expand the NBA's presence in a market that has been actively pursued by multiple ownership groups and would require significant investment in facilities and franchise fees.
Vegas expansion franchise. Three distinct ownership coalitions remain, the combined price for team plus arena is reported in the low tens of billions, and the league aims to approve expansion teams by year-end. Arena strategy and the competitiveness of bids are major factors shaping which group will win the franchise.
The NBA appears to be close to making a decision on expanding to Las Vegas, with three groups in the running to land a team who would play in Southern Nevada.
The NBA moved a step closer to potentially expanding to Las Vegas this week.
The NBA is currently prioritizing Las Vegas in its expansion process before turning its attention to Seattle, according to Shams Charania. “The NBA is focused right now on closing on the owner of the Las Vegas expansion team and then moving toward Seattle,” Charania said on NBA Today. Charania cited the increasingly co
I admit, if you had asked me as recently as a few years ago, I said there was no chance Vegas would get an NBA team. But times change, attitudes about gambling change, and the NBA voted today to "explore" expansion to Vegas (and returning to Seattle): https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48304338/sources-nba-votes-explo
The NBA’s expansion process is moving into a more advanced stage, with the next round of Las Vegas bids due Thursday and final proposals expected shortly afterward, according to Shams Charania. Appearing on NBA Today, Charania said the league and commissioner Adam Silver are entering “deeper and deeper stages” of discu
The NBA could select a winning bid for an expansion team in Las Vegas before turning its attention to Seattle, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. The league appears to be taking different approaches to the two markets as it continues exploring expansion, with multiple ownership groups competing for Las Vegas w
Loading more related stories...
Open the app view to save this story, compare related coverage, and continue from the same source.