Adam Silver: NBA will consider expansion

During his appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reiterated the league’s contemplation of expansion. When specifically questioned about the possibility of Las Vegas becoming an expansion city, Silver affirmed that it is indeed a location under consideration.

“Well, number one, I’ll say there are no inside candidates. Lots of players, former players, well-known wealthy people out there who’ve expressed interest in having a Las Vegas franchise. What I’ve said to everyone, publicly and privately, is that there is no process in place. There have been no secret discussions, no commitments to anyone. I’m obviously thrilled that people are interested,” Silver said.

“We have a long track record in Vegas. Not that it’s a competition, but before those other teams you mentioned were there, we played an All-Star game there. We brought our summer league to Las Vegas. Obviously now we have the WNBA Las Vegas Aces which are incredibly successful there. We’re bringing the in-season tournament semifinals and championship game there. So we like the market.”

Silver emphasized once more that the primary focus is currently on negotiating the NBA’s upcoming media rights deal. Any deliberation on expansion is slated to occur after the conclusion of this deal. However, Silver assured that expansion is a future consideration for the league once the media rights deal is finalized.

“So, you know, we’ll see what the timing is on those national television agreements. You know, we don’t have to wait till the end of the second season to get those done, but once we do, we’ll turn back to expansion, or turn to expansion. And again, I made no secret out of it,” Silver said on timing of expansion discussions.

In addition to mentioning Las Vegas, the NBA Commissioner also brought up Seattle as one of the cities that the league will contemplate for potential expansion.

“Las Vegas is one of those markets we’re gonna look to,” Silver said. “I know that the fans in Seattle have wanted us to get back there forever. No commitments, you know, to anyone. But we’ll certainly be looking at those two markets.”

Adam Silver Again Says NBA Will Consider Expansion https://t.co/ZwF6cSiMu2

— RealGM (@RealGM) December 6, 2023