NBA Commissioner Adam Silver used the 2026 Summer League in Las Vegas as a platform to deliver his most detailed public update yet on the league's expansion timeline. Speaking at a press conference at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 14, Silver said the process is moving forward on schedule and that a formal decision is expected before the end of 2026.
"I'm optimistic about the future here," Silver told reporters. "No votes have been taken yet. We've got a ways to go still in terms of those discussions with interested parties, but I'm optimistic."
Silver addressed the disparity in publicly declared bidders between Las Vegas — which has four known ownership groups — and Seattle, which has had only one publicly declared bidder in the Samantha Holloway-led group. "Most of the groups that are interested have not been public," Silver said, suggesting Seattle's bidding field may be deeper than it appears.
The commissioner also acknowledged the financial complexity of expansion, noting that each of the 30 current NBA owners would see their share of league revenue diluted by the addition of two new franchises. "Potential issues in expanding include the loss of revenue per owner who will have to split league monies with two new teams," Silver said, "as well as the potential for the impact of talent, with the need to fill the roster spots for a pair of new franchises."
Clark County Commission Chair Michael Naft expressed enthusiasm for the NBA's arrival in Las Vegas. "I am looking forward to the NBA being located in unincorporated Clark County," Naft told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "We certainly have an interest in making sure that happens smoothly and successfully, and we'll continue to work with all appropriate stakeholders to make that happen."
For Seattle, the Summer League served as a reminder of what the city has been missing since the SuperSonics departed in 2008. With Silver's end-of-2026 timeline now firmly established, the countdown to the Sonics' return has officially begun.