The National Basketball Association is exploring expansion to Seattle and Las Vegas.
The NBA coming to Las Vegas would give Sin City a third team across the major North American sports leagues.
Currently, there is only one in the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights. The former Oakland Athletics of MLB will also play at a new stadium in Las Vegas for the 2028 season and beyond.
NBA expansion to Sin City would follow recent trend
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has targeted the 2028-2029 season for expansion, if it happens.
The prediction market platform Kalshi already offers trades on which cities will get new teams by 2028.
While Las Vegas and Seattle are the major frontrunners, other cities with betting odds include Louisville, Nashville, and Vancouver, which had a team for six seasons before it moved to Memphis in 2001.
Golden Knights' owner is the frontrunner
Bill Foley is the owner of the Golden Knights. With his overwhelming success running the team, he and his group are the frontrunners to land an NBA franchise.
When asked about his bid for expansion from a Las Vegas news outlet, Foley stated, “We’re excited about the prospects, and it’s a natural fit, but it’s very early in the process.”
If he wins the bid, Foley will join six others who own both NHL and NBA teams in the same city.
Unprecedented success for Golden Knights under Foley
After only nine seasons in the NHL, the Vegas Golden Knights rank 13th in team value. They generated $250 million in revenue during the 2024-25 season.
The Golden Knights have made the playoffs in eight of nine seasons since joining the league. What's even more impressive is that they made the Stanley Cup finals in their first season, losing to the Washington Capitals in five games. Vegas won the Stanley Cup in the 2022-23 season and lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2025-26 Cup final.
Currently, the Golden Knights have the fourth-best betting odds among U.S. sportsbooks to win the Stanley Cup next season.
Other names in the mix
While Foley and his ownership group are the current frontrunners, others will be in the mix as well.
Some of the rumored names include NBA legends Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal, Mark Lesnors — the former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks — and ex-Disney CEO Bob Iger.
The price tag for a new NBA franchise is expected to be between $7 and $10 billion. It's a hefty price tag that's on par with purchasing an existing franchise. Last year, the Boston Celtics were bought for $6 billion, and the Los Angeles Lakers were acquired for $10 billion.
Seattle has a slight lead in NBA expansion push
While Las Vegas has strong odds of landing an NBA team, it may eventually fall further behind Seattle. The Emerald City has already had a storied NBA team in the SuperSonics, which moved to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder.
Also, the city in the Great Northwest has a more straightforward bidding process and already has an established basketball venue in Climate Pledge Arena.
Foley would have to renovate the T-Mobile Arena, where the Golden Knights play. That stadium would likely be the team's home for a while, but other sites around Las Vegas have been discussed.
