At a press conference prior to the NBA Cup championship game, commissioner Adam Silver said the league would determine at some point in 2026 whether it will add a pair of domestic expansion teams, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
As Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes, Tuesday evening marked the first time Silver has given a timeline for a decision on expansion since he first broached the possibility ahead of the 2020/21 season.
“I’d say in terms of domestic expansion, that is something we’re continuing to look at,” Silver said. “It’s not a secret we’re looking at this market in Las Vegas. We are looking at Seattle. We’ve looked at other markets, as well. I’d say I want to be sensitive there about this notion that we’re somehow teasing these markets, because I know we’ve been talking about it for a while.
“As I’ve said before, domestic expansion, as opposed to doing a new league in Europe, is selling equity in this current league. If you own 1/30 of this league, now you own 1/32 if you add two teams. So it’s a much more difficult economic analysis. In many ways, it requires predicting the future.
“I think now we’re in the process of working with our teams and gauging the level of interest and having a better understanding of what the economics would be on the ground for those particular teams and what a pro forma would look like for them, and then sometime in 2026 we’ll make a determination.”
While Silver mentioned the NBA has looked at several possibilities, he clarified to Vardon after the press conference that the league is primarily focused on the cities of Las Vegas and Seattle, which have long been viewed as the frontrunners for potential expansion.
“I think Seattle and Las Vegas are two incredible cities,” Silver said, per Bontemps. “Obviously we had a team in Seattle that had great success. We have a WNBA team here in Las Vegas in the Aces. We’ve been playing the summer league here for 20 years. We’re playing our Cup games here, so we’re very familiar with this market.
“I don’t have any doubt that Las Vegas, despite all of the other major league teams that are here now, the other entertainment properties, that this city could support an NBA team.”
Silver also discussed several other topics on Tuesday, Bontemps adds, including the ongoing WNBA negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, Chris Paul‘s acrimonious exit from the Clippers, and the number of injuries around the league.
After the press conference ended, Silver suggested the NBA Cup final might be held at different venues going forward, per Jason Jones of The Athletic. The first three in-season tournament championship games were held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“We’ve loved our experience in Vegas,” Silver said in an appearance on the NBA on Prime pregame show. “We’re talking with Amazon Prime about whether it makes sense to maybe go to some unique locations for the final game. They’ve suggested, for example, some storied college arenas. So we’re just looking at other ways to do this.”
They should have alternated the cup locations between Vegas and Seattle see the type of fans. I am sure Seattle would still have a more rabid fanbase, they probably would have booed OKC a ton.
Why add more teams to the NBA? It’s already watered down. Look at the standings that share. We have about 8 to 12 teams that are not good. Trying to tank of adding more teams to are bad product. NBA has an issue and that’s why money and viewership is going down
All the tanking going on in the NBA has nothing to do with the current talent level in the league. It is ludicrous to suggest otherwise. There are plenty of guys out of the NBA who would be called up tomorrow if there was enough space for them but there isn’t. There’s never been more talent in the game, whatever we may think of how the game is played/called today.
You just contradicted your own self in your own statement. If there was more talent in the NBA than there ever was before then there wouldn’t be all these teams. Tanking. There is less talent in the NBA than ever before. I don’t think you’re old enough to have watched basketball if you’re stating that. Every team in the early 2000s or the mid-200s the ’90s had at NBA All-Star Superstar on their team. Best ability is availability and have the players aren’t even available in today’s NBA. So what Superstar does New Orleans have don’t say Zion Williams because he doesn’t play so to me he’s not a superstar. What superstar does Elena have? Don’t say Trey young because he doesn’t play and he hasn’t amounted to any type of winning basketball and years. What Superstar does Washington have Brooklyn have, Indiana, you went to the the NBA finals last year. You had one player goes down in this whole team is trash now. How about the clippers? That whole team is old and none of those dudes are actually stars anymore. Yes, James harden puts up numbers but none of that affects any type of winning basketball at all. What about Miami? Who would you call a star on that because they seem like a mediocre team to me. Are you going to say bam who’s actually a power forward playing center? Next we can go to the warriors. Other than Steph Curry on that team, what other player is capable of doing anything else? That’s why their record is so bad and they’ve pretty much been healthy outside of Curry’s injury.
So to sit there and say there’s more talent in the NBA and then you’re going to add teams and water down the product and say there’s players outside of the NBA who can’t even make the MBA when you have two-way contracts and guys at the end of the bench who aren’t even playing just because people can score doesn’t make them more talented. Half the players on the teams nowadays don’t even have roles or any type of elite skill that they can get on the court and perform. What you’re saying is more. Tell him is that people are able to hit three-point shots. If you don’t think guys in the early 2000s and the ’90s would have hit more shots if they shot more shooting is the easiest thing to learn in basketball. No. Dribble pull-ups guys take 500,000 steps carrying the ball. No plays are run by these coaches. We could go on and on and on. It’s why the All-Star game is trash. That’s why they had to add the NBA cup and not one team has won back-to-back championships because it’s usually a lot of injuries or players jumping around instead of developing on teams to try to add stars
More overall talent in the NBA doesn’t mean you still don’t need superstar talent to win a championship, and your best way of acquiring that talent is still going to be at the top of each draft. Tanking will never stop unless there are completely flat lottery odds.
And I’m not going to argue with nostalgia because nostalgia generally trumps facts and reason. You just don’t like the way the game is played today—and the players which tend to be valued as a result–and that’s fine. They’re still talented, but in ways that may be less “fun”.
That’s not true at all. I’m one of the big people who argue against old head saying these new players aren’t this shi would be a top point guard and any era. He is tall, athletic has a mid-range game. 3-point game can play me. He has it all. I think he wouldn’t dominate in the ’90s just completely idiotic so you’re missing the point of my post and trying to use arguments as a young old thing or a nostalgia thing because you’re not seeing any facts in your post.
Facts are there is less talent, I just explained that every team had an All-Star. Every team doesn’t have an All-Star nowadays. There’s players who don’t play. There’s players who only can drive and shoot or catch lobs or do different things like that. Half the big man in the NBA if they switch and get a guard on them are unable to score. And I don’t want to hear about there’s more athletic ability. Wilt, MJ, Dominique Wilton’s Vince Carter those guys were probably some of the most athletic guys in NBA history.
The reason why there’s so many tanking teams is because you have 19-year-olds come into the NBA without skill sets and that’s 100% facts. Some of these teams been taken for year after year after year. Take the sixers for example they tank. For how many years? How long has the hornets been tanking But you win the lottery And get a top 5 pick And guess what? Wiseman and yamelo ball were the top two choices in that draft. Neither one of those players are capable of being a superstar or an All-Star you know another ball is not at All Star. He doesn’t impact any type of winning any plays high school basketball on an NBA court. Does he have talent of course.
How long is Brooklyn going to tank. New Orleans just had the number one overall pick and guess what they’re back to doing. Tanking. Sacramento Just had Fox and halliburton and guess with their back to doing tanking. So if you’re tanking and there Is 5 to 8 teams tanking that’s a lack of talent. Obviously the Wemby and Joker would domante in any era. However, after those top players you have a huge drop off. And you’re relying on a bunch of old players and old stars who are past their Prime and should be getting out of the league (LeBron, DeRozan, even Butler is not a star anymore) So where’s this young great talent that you’re talking about? Maxey puts up great numbers If you’re a superstar why are your record so bad. Is this sixers team better than the 2001 team. I think Soo. Maxey no A.I but he has multiple players yet no results.
When is your book coming out?
Same reason they’re adding more teams to the WNBA, a league that’s even more watered down with only 14 teams…
MONEY
WNBA = fail They have a negative future on basketball
Why are the major sports leagues so timid about expansion? There is so much talent out there and the popularity is sky high, they should add 6 teams. Creates a lot of jobs.. more so in baseball.
Yes having less than 2 million viewers for a national broadcast is a success. NFL PRO BOWL FLAG FOOTBALL GAME DRAWS 6 million viewers. I bet NFL players arriving to the game would draw 4 million
Probably because they have to be approved by the city they want to expand to. They need to have, I assume it can get political .
There is no doubt that the NBA will announce that they are expanding by two teams, which I ultimately imagine will be in Seattle and Vegas. Expansion fees = Mo money, mo money, mo money for the league and for another 30-40 players getting NBA deals which the PA will be happy about.
Assuming Seattle and Vegas, Memphis can finally make their overdue move to the East.
Vegas doesn’t need another sports team since they showed that its just for visitors not a hometown fan base. Seattle should be first to get a new team. Give it to a city that would appreciate a team not Vegas.
Time to expand to Bangor Maine
Yes. And then go to 50-60 games.
I do think the NBA should go down to 62 games. That is a great idea but I just don’t see them doing it because the players aren’t going to want to give up money. They get paid not to play so why would you vote to go with less games if you’re already getting paid?
“In many ways, it requires predicting the future.”
Meaning, he has to convince the owners that the overall increase will make up for the loss of percentage of ownership of the league. Much better chance of that than convincing them to reduce games.
With Seattle and LV, the TWolves could shift to the EC. Should cut their travel time substantially (more than Memphis or NO).
The NBA is controlled by their fans they hav.e all that technology on their body that they are like robots. Expansion of teams only lowers the noise
Expansion only water down a product! It took the Pistons 5 years to return to prominence. Move some of these lousy franchises. Move Memphis to Vegas and move Sacramento to Seattle.