Seattle basketball fans, are you on the edge of your seats yet? Wednesday morning, the NBA Board of Governors voted to allow the league to formally explore expansion in two cities: Seattle and Las Vegas.
Before you get too excited, it is important to note: the process of adding new teams to the NBA is long and complicated.
There are many hurdles to overcome before the Supersonics can return to the Emerald City.
Here’s how it would all have to play out:
Step 1: Owners vote to explore expansion and open bidding. In total, they needed 23 of 30 owners to vote yes.
Step 2: Ownership groups form, begin organizing needed funding, and start putting together pitches to bid for the expansion teams.
Step 3: The League will review those bids. Right now, the expected price for expansion is $7-10 billion dollars per team.
Step 4: Final vote to officially approve expansion to 32 teams will be held, deciding on one of those bids from the ownership groups’ pitches. Again, 23 votes would be required to move forward.
Step 5: Launching new teams. The target debut for Seattle and Las Vegas franchises is the 2028 - 2029 season.
When was the last expansion?
The NBA hasn’t expanded since it added the Charlotte Hornets in 2004. That would mean, knock on wood, if everything goes according to plan for Seattle and Vegas, there would be a 24-year gap between the expansions.
How does an expansion draft work?
Similar to other sports, existing NBA teams would need to make at least one player available to be selected by the new ones. Existing teams can protect up to 8 players.
It’s not as simple as just picking the best players. In past expansion drafts, teams have taken risks, selecting younger players or those about to hit free agency. The catch? Those players could walk away.
It’s a balancing act between talent, contracts, and long-term flexibility, and history shows expansion teams don’t always take a full roster right away.
Expansion teams would also get help through the NBA Draft. Historically, new teams are given high picks, but not the top overall selection. That means they can land top talent, just not the number one pick right away. It’s another way the league tries to keep things balanced while still giving new teams a chance to compete.
This time, things could look a bit different since there would be the creation of two teams simultaneously, as opposed to one. For example, since there are two teams, the league could bump that maximum up to two players. It’s still a little too early to tell.
You can read the full summary of expansion draft rules from the last NBA expansion here.