The NBA Board of Governors is “likely” to vote on expansion this summer, according to the Dallas Morning News, which reported Sunday night that Seattle and Las Vegas are the two cities “favored” to become the league’s 31st and 32nd franchises.

The report came shortly after the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots, 29-13, in Super Bowl 60.

Seattle and Las Vegas emerging as leading candidates should not come as a surprise. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed potential expansion in December ahead of the NBA Cup title game, confirming the league has been evaluating both markets.

“Not a secret, we're looking at this market in Las Vegas,” Silver said from the NBA Cup championship site. “We are looking at Seattle. We've looked at other markets as well. I'd say I want to be sensitive there about this notion that we're somehow teasing these markets, because I know we've been talking about it for a while.”

Silver later stated during the press conference that “sometime in 2026 we’ll make a determination” regarding expansion.

“I think Seattle and Las Vegas are two incredible cities,” Silver said. “Obviously, we had a team in Seattle that had great success. We have a WNBA team here in Las Vegas in the Aces. … I don't have any doubt that Las Vegas, despite all of the other major league teams that are here now, the other entertainment properties, that this city could support an NBA team.”

If Seattle is awarded a franchise, it would mark the second time the city has hosted an NBA team. The SuperSonics played in Seattle from 1967 until relocating to Oklahoma City in 2008, where they became the Thunder. The SuperSonics won their lone NBA championship in 1979.

Las Vegas has become a growing hub for professional sports franchises in recent years. The NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights began play in the 2017–18 season and won the Stanley Cup in June 2023.

The WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces relocated from San Antonio in 2018 and have since won league titles in 2022, 2023, and 2025. The NFL’s Raiders moved from Oakland to Las Vegas ahead of the 2020 season and are 0-1 in the playoffs since relocating.

Major League Baseball’s Athletics are also expected to begin play in Las Vegas in 2028. The A’s played their final season in Oakland in 2024 and are currently playing home games in Sacramento while their Las Vegas ballpark remains under construction.