The NBA appears to be edging ever closer to having an additional two teams join the league.
Should the league move forward with a vote upcoming this summer, Seattle and Las Vegas have been touted as the leading front-runners to secure NBA expansion franchises.
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The NBA is getting set to make a decision on bringing in two new expansion teamsCredit: Getty
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver first floated the idea of expanding the league before the 2020-21 season.
In the back end of 2025, though, he named Seattle and Las Vegas by name, hinting that a resolution one the idea for expanding the league from 30 to 32 teams would near in 2026.
“I think Seattle and Las Vegas are two incredible cities,” Silver said back in December.
“Obviously, we had a team in Seattle that had great success. We have a WNBA team here in Las Vegas, 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.
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“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.”
NBA Board of Governors expected to meet in March
Then on Thursday, ESPN senior insider Shams Charania revealed that the NBA’s Board of Governors are expected to hold a formal discussion in March, with a realistically possibility that a vote will be held in the summer.
“This is top of mind for the Board of Governors and the NBA’s owners because this is big business potentially,” Sharania shared on NBA Today on Thursday.
“I’m told there is a board of governors meeting in March where the expectation is that there’s going to be some more information, financials on what it looks like when you go get a couple more expansion teams potentially.
“What it means for the rest of the league: How much are the valuations of those two teams going to be? What does the league layout look like? Then, potentially in the summer as 2026 goes on, have a potential determination.
“But my understanding is that Seattle and Las Vegas are the frontrunners for expansion teams. And then from there, a Western Conference team moving to the Eastern Conference.
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Seattle is one of the frontrunners to land an NBA expansion teamCredit: Getty
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Vegas has been floated as another expansion hub, with the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces having found huge success in the cityCredit: Getty
“So we think about teams in that region. Memphis. Minnesota. New Orleans. Could one of those teams potentially move to the Eastern Conference?
“These are conversations that we’ll be picking up as 2026 goes on. But this is still a few years away from actually taking place as far as these expansion teams being put forth for the public.”
The NBA has not added a franchise to the league since 2004 when the Charlotte Bobcats were formed (now known as the Hornets).
Both Seattle – who used to house the SuperSonics before they relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder in 2008 – and Las Vegas are very much west of the United States.
Therefore, to balance up the Conferences numbers-wise, the expectation is that one existing team in the Western Conference will be moved over to the East.
Memphis, Minnesota or New Orleans most likely to move East
As it stands, the three most likely candidates, according to Charania, are the Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans.
This is because these are the three franchises in the Western Conference that are furthest East geographically.
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The Timberwolves have been touted as the best fit to move over to the Eastern Conference should the NBA expandCredit: Getty
Out of those three, though, an argument has been made for the Timberwolves to be the team to switch conferences due to having bigger rivalries with teams in the East, not just on a basketball-front, but on a US Sports front.
For example, Minnesota’s NFL team is the Vikings, who have a huge rivalry with the Green Bay Packers, whose NBA affiliate is the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee Bucks.
Similarly the Vikings are also in the same division as the Chicago Bears, with the Timberwolves also having a heated rivalry with the Chicago Bulls in the past.
As such, this potential move – which would see the rivalry games take place more frequently a season due to the scheduling changes that come with being in a different conference – could very much be seen as a positive marketing ploy for the NBA.
“Minnesota makes a ton of sense. They have natural rivalries with teams like Milwaukee, Chicago, and Detroit from other sports,” The Daily Wolves’ Tim Garrison wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“They’re also on an island relative to Western Conference teams. Most importantly though? Minneapolis is a mid sized market with one of the game’s most marketable stars.
“Tossing this Timberwolves team into the East would breathe life into the conference and even the balance of power some.”
Minnesota is estimated to be worth north of $3.6 billion according to Forbes, and they currently possess a generational talent – and hugely marketable superstar – in Anthony Edwards.
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Edwards or Morant could be plying their trade in the Eastern Conference one dayCredit: Getty
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The Grizzlies are the furthest team East geographically that play in the Western ConferenceCredit: Getty
Geographically, Memphis, Tennessee – which is currently the home of polarizing figure Ja Morant – is the closest to those teams in the Eastern Conference.
However, they are also located close to Western Conference teams, as are New Orleans, due to them both being in south of the US.
Therefore, they are much closer than the Wolves to the NBA’s Texas outfits of the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, as well as that of the Thunder.
“Memphis also has geographically local western conference teams,” Garrison rebutted. “The 5 top five closest teams to the the wolves are all in the eastern conference.
“Memphis and NOLA both fold nicely into the clump of Texas teams. Minnesota is on an island all on their own in the West.”
Before debates really ramp up about which team will head over to the East can take place, though, the NBA needs to iron out and formalise its expansion plans first.
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