Two days of NBA Board of Governors meetings wrapped Tuesday in New York with reports on potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle. Commissioner Adam Silver said afterward that the league's goal is still to have decisions on both markets by the end of the year.
The expansion update was one of several items on the agenda. The board also discussed the findings and penalties in the Los Angeles Clippers' salary cap circumvention case and the continued negotiations around NBA Europe. It was Larry Tanenbaum's last meeting as governor of the Toronto Raptors and as chairman of the board, a role he held for nine years. Miami Heat governor Micky Arison takes over as chairman after the meetings.
In his opening remarks, Silver listed expansion right after the Clippers matter.
"On a much more positive note, we discussed as part of our meetings potential expansion around Las Vegas and Seattle," Silver said.
The NBA has not added a franchise since the Charlotte Bobcats began play in 2004. Seattle has been without a team since the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008.
The NBA is in talks to acquire a majority stake in EuroLeague, Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed Tuesday 🏀
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) September 16, 2026
Silver said negotiations are progressing, with announcements potentially coming in the weeks or months ahead.
MORE: https://t.co/bItLkSo3s1 pic.twitter.com/ewphmhLdi3
Las Vegas Bid Groups and Arena Sites
Silver was asked during the question-and-answer session how many bid groups remain in Las Vegas and whether arena sites came up in the meetings.
"Several active groups," Silver said. "I'll leave it at that. I'll say that there was a discussion led by Patrick Dumont, of course, who is a Las Vegas resident, enormous operating experience there in Las Vegas, just sort of as an independent objective party. Led a discussion around the various sites, potential sites, in Las Vegas.
"I think that there is real excitement around either a renovated T-Mobile Arena," Silver continued. "I think everyone acknowledges if a team were to stay there, it needs some significant improvements. But at the same time, there are groups who have presented plans to build what I would call a modern entertainment palace in Las Vegas. It's a unique market where you could truly see essentially 365-day-a-year activity.
"There was some discussion about how much the Sphere has impacted Las Vegas – what a technological marvel that is, what it's meant as a showcase and even what it's meant economically for Las Vegas," Silver added. "So some discussions around in a similar vein.
"I think right now we're at the point where there will be next-round bids coming in shortly, not final bids, but next-round bids coming in," Silver noted. "My personal view is it's premature to start locking in a site. I think there are several different locations that would be very viable for NBA basketball in Las Vegas."
Dumont is the governor of the Dallas Mavericks. T-Mobile Arena opened in 2016 and is home to the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights.
Silver did not name any of the bid groups. He also did not give a date for the next round of bids beyond saying they would arrive shortly.
Seattle and Climate Pledge Arena
A follow-up question asked what the board heard about Seattle and how the league plans to get from now to a vote by the end of the year.
"There was not as much discussion around Seattle as there was around Las Vegas, largely because, per the prior question, Las Vegas, it's not even clear what the site will be, let alone the arena yet," Silver said. "Therefore, it's a much longer timeline before we can throw the ball up for NBA basketball.
"On the other hand, in Seattle, we have had operational groups out to Climate Pledge," Silver continued. "You clearly have a state-of-the-art arena there. May require some modifications for NBA basketball. If we were opening in five weeks, we could be ready in Seattle.
"Because we can only take on so much at once, more of the discussion was around Las Vegas," Silver added. "As you said in your question, I've been saying it's our goal to have decisions by the end of the year. That continues to be our goal."
Climate Pledge Arena is home to the NHL's Seattle Kraken and the WNBA's Seattle Storm. The building opened in 2021 after a full renovation of the former KeyArena, where the SuperSonics played.
Training camps for some NBA teams open next week. The 2026-27 regular season is five weeks away.
Silver did not give a date for an owners' vote on either expansion market.
The Portland Question
The Portland Trail Blazers are working toward a December deadline on an arena deal, and Silver was asked whether keeping teams in their home markets during his tenure was a point of pride.
"Let me begin by saying that it is my hope and belief that the Portland Trail Blazers, or the Trail Blazers, can be successful in Portland, Oregon," Silver said. "It is important at the same time that Tom Dundon reaches a deal with the city officials and the state-elected officials that makes operating in Portland viable for the long-term. That's what we're focused on.
"I don't want to make that point of pride for me," Silver continued. "That would to me be prejudging the situation. I want to be very direct about it. I would see it as a failure if we did not keep the team in Portland. I've spent a lot of time in that community over the years. They've shown amazing support for the Trail Blazers. They're some of our best fans around the league."
Silver said he spent a significant amount of time with Dundon in New York. The board discussed Portland in one of its committee meetings, and Silver said Dundon was able to compare notes with owners who had gone through arena negotiations in other cities. Silver also said the current building in Portland ranks at the bottom of the league's arenas by any objective measure.
The NBA is in talks to acquire a majority stake in EuroLeague, Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed Tuesday 🏀
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) September 16, 2026
Silver said negotiations are progressing, with announcements potentially coming in the weeks or months ahead.
MORE: https://t.co/bItLkSo3s1 pic.twitter.com/ewphmhLdi3
NBA Europe Timeline
NBA Europe came up in Silver's opening remarks, right after expansion.
"Also Mark Tatum, our deputy commissioner, spoke about the continued discussions around NBA Europe," Silver said, "which to me are a historic opportunity to potentially build on amazing traditions of European basketball, currently in the EuroLeague and various country leagues, but to now bring that to the next level by creating a combination of new clubs and existing clubs into an NBA-style European competition.
"We're continuing to make progress there," Silver continued. "We're making progress in discussions with the EuroLeague. We anticipate over the next several weeks we will have additional announcements."
One question later in the session asked whether owners had talked about a formal offer to become majority owner of the EuroLeague.
"To the second part of your question, yes, we did discuss ongoing negotiations with the EuroLeague," Silver said. "As I said earlier, I believe we're making progress there.
"We believe that the league would be strengthened by joining forces with the EuroLeague," Silver continued. "It doesn't have to happen, but I think we all would be better off as a unified front in Europe."
The question placed the planned start date roughly a year out, with 12 franchises still to be announced.
"In terms of the potential investors, I'm not sure they're so impatient necessarily about next season," Silver said. "I think if it were up to some of them at least, we would wait longer to launch. At the same time, depending on where we stand with the EuroLeague, I do think it's important that we introduce competition into the market next summer. The initial product you'd likely see a year from now will be different than when we ultimately will have brought all the teams together and are formally operating the league.
"I think the answer is, we want to get going," Silver continued. "As I alluded to earlier, there will be announcements coming over the next few months. Those conversations are proceeding in earnest. It seems like everything takes longer than people outside the league would like it to take. These things are very involved. For us, in terms of NBA Europe, we truly see it as a once-in-forever opportunity. As I mentioned before, historic from our standpoint in terms of what this could mean, not just for basketball but the European sport landscape. And we want to get it right.
"For us, ensuring that we're thinking about all the different structural issues that come with it, how you approach a salary system among your players, how we aggregate television rights, what should be done locally," Silver detailed. "There are plans for multiple new arenas across Europe.
"I'm pleased with the progress we're making," Silver added. "I think our team owners were as well. At the same time, this will take some more time before we're ready to firm everything up."
