NBA Las Vegas expansion FAQ: The latest on how process could play out

The NBA is nearing a decision on expanding to Las Vegas, with three groups competing to bring a franchise to Southern Nevada. The league has been examining possible expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle since March, aiming to conclude the process by the end of the year. If Las Vegas receives a team, the city would host all four major professional sports leagues within a few years. The NFL’s Raiders and NHL’s Golden Knights already call the area home, the MLB’s Athletics are scheduled to relocate there for the 2028 season, and the NBA could debut in Southern Nevada the same year. **Who would own the team?** The NBA is expected to select a winning bid from three finalist groups. Each would purchase the franchise for an expansion fee reported to be between $12 billion and $13 billion, a figure that includes arena construction costs, according to ESPN. The finalists are: * A consortium led by Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie and her husband Bill Laurie. * A partnership featuring Golden Knights owner Bill Foley and former Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo, known as the Las Vegas Jacks. * A group comprising former Milwaukee Bucks co‑owner Marc Lasry and Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos. **Where would a Las Vegas NBA team play?** If the Foley‑Colangelo partnership wins the bid, it intends to build a new arena in Las Vegas. Otherwise, any new franchise would likely open at T‑Mobile Arena on a temporary basis while a permanent venue is completed, with the target launch set for the 2028‑29 NBA season. Several arena proposals have been floated. The Las Vegas Diamond Arena project is slated for 11 acres on the South Strip opposite Mandalay Bay and would seat 21,212 spectators; it is backed by Chetak Development Inc. Caesars Entertainment and its landlord VICI Properties have proposed a roughly 50‑acre site behind the Horseshoe, Paris Las Vegas and another Horseshoe property. The Jacks have been working with Manica Architecture, the firm that designed Allegiant Stadium, though the specific location for their arena has not been disclosed. **When will the NBA decide on expansion?** Commissioner Adam Silver has stated that the league hopes to have an answer by year’s end. ESPN reported that a decision on the Las Vegas bidder could come imminently, with the Seattle determination expected to follow later. **How would a Las Vegas franchise acquire players?** Should the NBA approve teams in Las Vegas and Seattle, an expansion draft would be held, drawing players from the existing 30 franchises. As with the 2004 Charlotte expansion, each current team could protect up to eight players, although the exact number remains to be determined. Las Vegas and Seattle would each be permitted to select one unprotected player from every current team and would receive a lottery pick in the first expansion draft for which they are eligible. **What happens to the NBA’s Eastern and Western conferences?** Adding two West Coast clubs would necessitate a realignment of the conferences to 16 teams each. Las Vegas and Seattle would be placed in the Western Conference, requiring the relocation of one current Western team to the Eastern Conference. Potential candidates for that shift include the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Memphis Grizzlies.