The NBA confirms that they will begin evaluating a possible expansion this year

The moment so many cities have been waiting for has finally arrived, as the NBA will officially begin exploring potential expansion this coming season. It's been years since Adam Silver first talked about adding new franchises to the competition, but the league's commissioner has confirmed that now is the time.

However, two things stand in the way of this happening. The first is that the NBA will only consider an extension if the city really deserves it and, the second is that they still have to finalize their new media rights deal, which has reportedly been agreed upon for $76 billion.

“Right now we are not done with our agreements with the media, but when we are done we will look to expand,” said Silver on Tuesday at a press conference during the Summer League in Las Vegas.

The NBA will turn to “considering expansion” after the league's media rights deal is finalized, commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday in Las Vegas.

More updates ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/33G7WIFcsR

– The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 17, 2024

However, things are not that simple. If the league accepts a new NBA team, the payments directed to each franchise from the new media rights contact will be reduced between them. “Sometimes it seems like we are printing money when we expand, but in reality it is not the same as selling equity in any business.

“So I think there should be an equal amount of modeling and a corporate office working with existing owners really thinking about the long-term prospects, and, not just the economics but the potential for talent loss. “But having said that, I think we will engage with this decline seriously in the process of making those decisions if we should expand and if we are going to expand, how many teams we should expand and which markets we should look at,” explained Silver.

According to the commissioner, having more potential areas will be beneficial in the expansion process. “Availability of first-class stadiums plays a big role in making those expansion decisions,” said Silver. “We have not been involved in direct discussions with property owners here or those who are considering buying the fields.”

For example, Las Vegas has not been interested in having a potential franchise, as Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James have expressed their desire to lead the project. “It's exciting to have all that interest in this market, and to note who says when we turn to expansion that they would like to be a part of this program,” said an NBA official.

The league commissioner expressed his pleasure in continuing to build a relationship with Southern Nevada, which is where the Summer League is held.

Over the years, the NBA has hosted many important events in Las Vegas, and Adam Silver expressed his excitement about continuing to build a relationship with the city. With the 20th Summer League underway and the NBA Cup set to return to T-Mobile Arena, the future looks promising for expansion.

“Now in the 20th year of the Summer League, we've measured and been told that the economic impact is close to half a billion dollars,” the official said. “We are so grateful for the way Las Vegas has developed in the 20 years we have been here, that we can say it is the undisputed entertainment capital of the world. We look forward to doing more here.”

With new and innovative venues like the Sphere hosting last month's NHL draft, many businessmen around the world are wondering if Las Vegas will attract more leagues to the city.

“We're not looking at going to the draft yet, but I watched the NHL draft on TV, and it was a really amazing experience coming out of the Sphere,” Silver concluded.