Adam Silver Says NBA Will Decide on Expansion in 2026, Which Cities Could Get Teams?

NBA fans hoping for expansion will have to wait until next year to learn the league's decision.

"We're in the process of working with our (existing) teams and gauging the level of interest and having a better understanding of what the economics would be on the ground for those particular teams and what a pro forma would look like for them," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic. "And then sometime in 2026, we'll make a determination."

Silver also said the NBA has examined a number of markets for potential expansion but are most focused on Seattle and Las Vegas.

According to Silver, the biggest hurdle for expansion is determining whether the league's existing 30 teams are willing to divide the revenue by another two. Examining whether the value created by two new franchises would be enough to outweigh the further division will surely be part of the process.

But Las Vegas and Seattle make sense as potential new markets.

Las Vegas is already a part of the NBA considering it hosts the league's primary Summer League and has also been the location for the championship rounds of the first three NBA Cup tournaments.

The championship game of this season's edition of the NBA Cup between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks is Tuesday in the city.

What's more, professional sports in Las Vegas in the modern era is nothing new.

The NFL (Raiders), NHL (Golden Knights) and WNBA (Aces) already have teams, and MLB will have the Athletics located in Las Vegas starting in 2028. The NBA knows there is already a market for professional sports and can respond accordingly.

As for Seattle, the city was the home of the SuperSonics from 1976 until 2008. That is when the franchise moved to Oklahoma City to become the Thunder, but there is a long and proud history of fandom in the Pacific Northwest.

The NBA has not expanded since the Charlotte Bobcats became the league's 30th team in 2004. The franchise has since been renamed the Hornets, which was the name of the original team located in Charlotte.