Although many anticipated that the two new NBA expansion teams—one in Seattle and another in Las Vegas—would start playing in the 2028-29 season, the timeline for Las Vegas may be delayed. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently indicated that while Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena is nearly ready for NBA play with only minor modifications needed, Las Vegas still lacks a confirmed site and arena, making its launch much further off.
According to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, the Las Vegas franchise might not begin competing until the 2029-30 season. Initially, the league aimed for both teams to debut in 2028-29, but it is now considering pushing the Las Vegas timeline back, although no final decision has been made.
The NBA is close to selecting one of three candidate ownership groups for the Las Vegas team: Bill Foley and Jerry Colangelo; Nancy Walton Laurie and Bill Laurie; or Marc Lasry, David Levy, and Steve Apostolopoulos. The main hurdle is not ownership but the arena. All contenders plan to build a new venue likely integrated into a resort, casino, and entertainment district, but the location has yet to be finalized. Designing, approving, and constructing such a facility is time-consuming.
Las Vegas already has the T-Mobile Arena near the Strip, which hosts the NHL’s Golden Knights and WNBA’s Aces and has seen NBA midseason NBA Cup final rounds recently. However, upgrading this arena to NBA standards would cost up to $400 million. It is expected the new franchise owners will pay around a $10 billion expansion fee to the league and invest several billion more in constructing the new arena.
Commissioner Silver anticipates a formal announcement by the end of the year on both the expansion teams’ approvals and ownership groups.
Fan Take: This development is significant as it highlights the careful planning and monumental investment required to bring NBA basketball to new cities. For fans, the arrival of these teams—especially in basketball-hungry Seattle and vibrant Las Vegas—could reshape the league’s future and expand its cultural footprint in exciting ways.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
