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NBA Las Vegas expansion may slip to 2029-30: what changes

By McKinley Malbrough III, J.D., MS-HRM · Certified WNBA player agent · Former certified NBA agent

Published October 4, 2026. Last updated October 4, 2026.

What did The Athletic report about Las Vegas expansion?

The league has explored whether a Las Vegas team could debut in 2029-30, one season after the 2028-29 target it had used since March. Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic reported that the idea has been discussed but not decided, per Hoops Rumors. A 2028-29 start in Las Vegas has not been ruled out.

The target date itself came from the commissioner. Adam Silver told The Dan Patrick Show that if the league expands, it is thinking about the 2028-29 season, per KSNV. The Board of Governors voted unanimously in March to explore expansion only in Seattle and Las Vegas, which would take the league from 30 teams to 32.

Who is bidding for the Las Vegas team?

Three ownership groups are finalists. Nancy Walton Laurie and Bill Laurie lead one. Golden Knights owner Bill Foley and Hall of Famer Jerry Colangelo lead a second. Canadian businessman Steve Apostolopoulos and former Bucks owner Marc Lasry lead the third, per Yahoo Sports.

The price is the largest in league history. Total costs, counting the expansion fee and a new arena, could reach $11 billion to $12 billion or more, per RealGM. An informal agreement with one Las Vegas group could come by late November, with a formal decision on both cities by the end of December.

Why could the Las Vegas debut slip a year?

The building. T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL's Golden Knights, is one option, but it would need about $400 million in renovations to be NBA-ready, per Hoops Rumors. Earlier reporting put Foley's planned investment at $300 million, so the figure depends on the scope of work.

The league would likely prefer a new arena, and several bidders have said they would build one. A new arena takes years to design and finish, and a team that waits for it may not be ready to play by the fall of 2028.

What does a Las Vegas delay mean for Seattle?

Seattle does not have the same arena problem. Samantha Holloway, who leads the Seattle Kraken, holds a majority stake in Climate Pledge Arena through One Roof Sports and Entertainment, and the arena already has rooms set aside as NBA locker rooms, per KIRO 7. Her group is the only Seattle bidder to go public, though Silver has said others are competing.

The league appears likely to settle Las Vegas first because that bidding is more competitive. The two groups that lose in Las Vegas could join the Seattle race, per Field Level Media. That would add pressure on price in Seattle, not delay its building.

What does NBA expansion mean for players?

Jobs. Each NBA team carries up to 15 standard contracts and three two-way contracts, so two new teams add up to 36 roster spots. Most of the first roster is usually filled through an expansion draft from other teams' unprotected players, the same tool the WNBA used to build Golden State and the 2026 teams; the WNBA expansion draft guide shows how protection limits shape who moves.

A one-year delay moves those jobs back a season. Players on expiring deals in 2028 and the rookie scale class of that summer would enter a 30-team market instead of a 32-team one. The NBA has not announced expansion draft rules, and it will not until it votes to expand.