Las Vegas considered NBA expansion city by commissioner

The NBA expanding to 32 teams has felt like an inevitability for a long time.

Talk about the subject was kept to a minimum for a long time, as the NBA signed a nine-year media rights deal in 2016. However, with that deal now expiring and the need for a new one on the horizon, rumors have begun circling again about if the NBA is looking to join the NFL and NHL as a 32-team league, as well as where possible expansion franchises might be located. Seattle makes a ton of sense for the return of the SuperSonics, but Las Vegas has also appeared on the radar multiple times in the discussion.

With the topic back in the public eye, NBA commissioner Adam Silver shared some thoughts on the matter.

Silver lists Las Vegas as a potential option for NBA expansion, but shoots down another idea in the process.

On the April 17 edition of the Pat McAfee Show, Silver sat down and mentioned that expansion was being heavily considered, with Las Vegas being namedropped as a potential location.

“I think as we get into the summer, we’ll get into a more formal process of how we go about doing it. I don’t want to say it’s a foregone conclusion that we’re going to expand, but I also think over time, organizations tend to grow,” Silver said. “And I look at the success of those markets for other major league teams, and so it’s easy to present a scenario where you can see it working successfully for the league.”

We’re looking hard at it and there’s no doubt that there’s been interest in Seattle and Las Vegas..We’re looking at those markets and others.”