Windhorst: Some NBA Circles 'Hoping' Expansion Team Will Be in Place For 2027 Season

Now that the Boston Celtics' sale has been agreed upon, the NBA could shift its focus toward expansion.

On the latest episode of The Hoop Collective Podcast (starts at 15:00 mark), ESPN's Brian Windhorst said that teams in some circles were "hoping" the NBA would have an expansion franchise in place for the 2027-28 season.

Windhorst did note he doesn't believe that timeframe is going to happen.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Thursday that the Grousbeck family agreed to sell the Celtics to Bill Chisholm for $6.1 billion. Wyc Grousbeck, current governor for the franchise, told Charania he will remain as governor and CEO through the 2027-28 season.

Expansion has been a frequent topic of discussion in the NBA in recent years. Silver told reporters prior to the start of the Finals last June that expansion wasn't necessarily "preordained" at this point, but "there's an enormous amount of interest out there."

The Celtics' situation was likely delaying the process because the sale price is going to impact expansion fees for a new franchise.

Seattle and Las Vegas have been cited as the most-likely expansion cities when it does happen. Silver mentioned them during his pre-Finals press conference, but noted the league would be focused on areas that would do the most to "grow the game."

The process of expansion typically requires at least one year of lead time, starting with NBA governors approving the addition of a new franchise.

Given that timeframe, it's not unreasonable to think the NBA could have things set up for at least one new franchise in place for the 2027-28 season. It's safe to assume there will be more discussion from Silver about this throughout the summer if the league wants to keep it on the frontburner.

The last time the NBA expanded was in 2004 when the Charlotte Bobcats became the 30th franchise. They have since changed their nickname to Hornets, reviving the name of the previous franchise that was in Charlotte from 1988 to 2002 before they relocated to New Orleans.