The NBA is expected to expand to 32 teams! Seattle and Las Vegas are the frontrunners, with one Western Conference team set to move to the East.

On February 13th Beijing time, according to insider Shams, the trend toward the NBA expanding to 32 teams is gaining momentum. If the NBA owners approve this summer, Seattle and Las Vegas are likely to receive franchises. To balance the strength between conferences, one team among the Grizzlies, Pelicans, and Timberwolves will relocate from the West to the East.

As early as December last year, NBA Commissioner Silver stated: “I believe both Seattle and Las Vegas are outstanding cities. Obviously, we previously had a very successful team in Seattle. Las Vegas hosts a top WNBA team, we've held the Summer League here for 20 years, and now the NBA Cup as well, so we are very familiar with this market. Even though Las Vegas already has several teams from other leagues and a robust entertainment industry, I have no doubt the city can fully support an NBA franchise.”

“As I mentioned before, domestic expansion differs from establishing a new league in Europe; this is essentially selling equity in the existing league. If you originally own 1/30 of the league, adding two teams reduces your share to 1/32. Therefore, this is a more complex financial consideration requiring future projections in many aspects. We are currently communicating with teams to gauge their intentions and better understand the economic realities and financial expectations of these two potential new franchises, with a decision expected sometime in 2026.”

The league’s financial issues now seem to have a solution. The NBA board is expected to vote this summer to approve the addition of two new teams.

Seattle is the leading candidate for one of the spots, a speculation further confirmed by Washington State Governor Ferguson’s meeting with Silver in early February. The governor’s office later confirmed the meeting aimed to bring the SuperSonics back to Seattle. They also noted it was Ferguson’s first virtual meeting with Silver and that the discussion was positive. Ferguson pledged to do everything possible to help Seattle regain an NBA team.

If Seattle is selected, it will mark the city’s return to the NBA after nearly 20 years. The SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City after the 2007-08 season and became the Thunder. Seattle has been without an NBA team for years, with local fans repeatedly protesting and demanding the league bring a team back.

Beyond its rich NBA history, Seattle’s high resident income, steady population growth, and established fan base make it an ideal candidate for expansion, almost guaranteeing the return of a team.

Las Vegas may not seem like the first choice for the second team, but given the NBA’s current situation, it makes sense. The league has a long-standing relationship with Las Vegas, which hosts the Summer League and NBA Cup, and boasts strong media appeal. It is emerging as a sports city — MLB reportedly plans to relocate the Athletics there. Although Las Vegas already has other professional teams nearby and faces some economic volatility, these advantages compensate well.

If the NBA ultimately approves expansion, the league will have 32 teams. Crucially, if the new teams are Seattle and Las Vegas, both will join the Western Conference, meaning at least one team must move to the East to maintain an even 16 teams per conference. Geographically, the most logical candidates for relocation are the Grizzlies (Memphis), Timberwolves (Minnesota), or Pelicans (New Orleans).

These are the ripple effects expected after expansion, but the first step is to wait for the expansion vote results in a few months.