NBA expansion talks turn to Las Vegas arena as Seattle stands ready

Seattle appears ready for the NBA. Las Vegas, meanwhile, still needs to determine exactly where everybody would sit.

Commissioner Adam Silver said much of the expansion discussion at this week’s Board of Governors meetings centered on the arena situation in Las Vegas, according to Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press.

Seattle already has Climate Pledge Arena, which may require some modifications but could accommodate an NBA franchise almost immediately.

“If we were opening in five weeks, we could be ready in Seattle,” Silver said.

Las Vegas presents more moving parts. One option would be renovating T-Mobile Arena. Another would involve constructing what Silver called a “modern entertainment palace.”

Because apparently “new basketball arena” doesn’t sound expensive enough in Las Vegas.

The NBA formally began exploring expansion to Seattle and Las Vegas in March and has spent the past several months evaluating prospective ownership groups. Silver said the league still hopes to make its decisions before the end of the year, although another round of bids is expected first.

Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont, a Las Vegas resident with extensive business interests in the city, led part of the owners’ discussion about potential arena sites.

If approved, the two expansion franchises reportedly could begin play in 2028-29, with an expansion draft held during the summer of 2028.

Then there is the part NBA owners undoubtedly enjoy most: the money.

Some teams reportedly expect to receive between $500 million and $600 million apiece from expansion fees. That would place the combined price of two franchises somewhere between $15 billion and $18 billion.

At those prices, somebody can probably find Las Vegas an arena.