Adam Silver Talks NBA Expansion: Las Vegas Eyed, 'Enormous Interest' in Seattle

NBA commissioner Adam Silver gave the latest update on a potential league expansion Monday afternoon in Las Vegas, confirming that the league will heavily consider the possibility of adding new teams over the next few years.

Silver made sure to emphasize that nothing will be done in a rush as the current top priority is to complete the next media rights deal with the current one set to expire after the 2024-25 season, according to The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov.

"We will turn to expansion once those new media deals are done," he said while speaking at the APSE conference. "It's not a sure thing but, as I've said before, I think it's natural that organizations grow over time."

Two cities mentioned by Silver as potential spots for new franchises were Las Vegas and Seattle-the former home of the Supersonics.

"There's no doubt there's enormous interest in Seattle," Silver said. "That's not a secret."

While it'll of course be a long process, Silver has always seemed positive on the possibility of expansion, putting it high up on his list of priorities along with the collective bargaining agreement—which has been completed—and the media rights deal.

The exclusive negotiating period between the NBA and its current TV partners ends next April. So, the clock is ticking and doesn't allow for a whole lot of time to focus on bringing in new teams.

Silver wants to make sure that all that administrative business is taken care of before expansion so that the new governors can know exactly what they are getting into and be certain of the league's business model.

Currently at 30 teams, the NBA has not expanded since the Charlotte Bobcats, now known as the Hornets, came into existence in 2004. Talk of bringing in even more franchises has picked up over the last few years.

Vegas is clearly a market that the league feels comfortable in with Summer League being hosted there every year and the new In-Season Tournament's semifinals and final set to be held in Sin City as well.

It also has recent record of success with professional sports as the NFL, NHL and WNBA all migrating to Vegas. MLB is on the way as well.

Seattle has been clamoring for the NBA to return since the Supersonics were taken away from the city and became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008. Restoring one of the league's historic teams would be a seamless fit.