NBA team owners will vote on moving forward with expansion teams in Las Vegas and Seattle at next week’s board of governors meeting, according to a report from ESPN on Monday.
If voted into action, the NBA is targeting the 2028-29 season as the debut for both of these potential new franchises, per ESPN.
There is reportedly increasing support for this move, which would return an NBA team to Seattle for the first time since the SuperSonics’ controversial move to Oklahoma City in 2008.
The Seattle SuperSonics operated from 1967-2008, coming to an end with an arena lease lawsuit between the franchise’s ownership group and the city of Seattle. The franchise has since played in Oklahoma City, where it won its first NBA championship since the move just last year.
During its time in Seattle, the franchise won six division titles, three conference titles and one NBA Championship (1979).
The Thunder do not hang any SuperSonics banners or list any Seattle-era stats in their media guide, but the NBA recognizes the Thunder and SuperSonics as the same franchise in its official history books.
Oklahoma City reportedly plans to cede SuperSonics-era history back to the new franchise, should the board of governors vote go through.
“Sources said if a team was to return to Seattle, the Thunder would cede the Seattle history back to the SuperSonics — just as the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets reclaimed the Charlotte-era history of the New Orleans Pelicans when Charlotte regained the Hornets name in 2014,” ESPN reported on Monday.
Las Vegas has never had an NBA franchise, but it has hosted the WNBA’s Aces since 2018. It’s a logical location due to it’s increasing professional sports presence and its hosting of the NBA Summer League and Emirates NBA Cup championship game.
Both Seattle and Las Vegas would join the Western Conference, meaning one current western team would be added to the Eastern Conference. The Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans and Minnesota Timberwolves are the leading contenders to make that move.