NBA: NBA Board Of Governors Reportedly Voting On Expansion To Seattle This Summer

2/10/26

According to a post on X from Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News, the NBA Board of Governors will be voting on expansion in the league. This would be for two new franchises, rumored to be in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Seattle. There have been longstanding rumors of the Seattle SuperSonics being brought back to Seattle since they left in 2008. The most legitimate one has been that the NBA would announce the new franchises before the 2026-27 season, and Townsend’s report dovetails that timeline. The NBA has been prominent in Las Vegas, with the NBA Summer League being hosted in the area since 2004. The NBA Cup has hosted the semifinals and championship in Las Vegas, perhaps testing the market for a franchise.

Seattle is ready to host an NBA franchise tomorrow if allowed. There has been some behind-the-scenes work to rally an ownership group, while not-so-subtle clues to Climate Pledge Arena being ready for an NBA team. For example, there is a locker room at Climate Pledge Arena that’s designated “NBA Locker Room”. Fans of the SuperSonics have been begging for their team to be brought back, and they just might get their wish.

There was no timeline as to when an expansion draft would occur, and when the franchises would start play. Las Vegas has multiple arenas in the area that could host an NBA team. Whether they choose that route could determine how quickly the franchises start. If the new Las Vegas team needs its own arena, that could significantly push back when expansion would occur.

There is still a possibility of other cities being involved in both expansion and relocation. Mexico City has been a city that NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, has talked about as a spot the league has talked about putting a team in, giving the league three countries with teams. There’s a G-League team in Mexico City, the Mexico City Capitanes. Relocation is also an option. The Portland Trail Blazers are about to complete a transaction of ownership from the Allen family to Tom Dundon and others. The arena the Trail Blazers play at, Moda Center, desperately needs a facelift, and there’s legislation in Oregon that would publicly fund the renovation of the arena and keep the team in Portland. If that were to go sideways, a trip up I-5 is possible, so the franchise doesn’t leave the northwest, and could still be a “local” team.