As the NBA's end-of-year expansion decision approaches, the Las Vegas Review-Journal published a comprehensive FAQ on August 5 breaking down every open question in the process. For Seattle fans, the answers are as relevant as they are for Las Vegas — because the two cities are being evaluated simultaneously, and the decisions made for one will shape the other.
Who would own the Las Vegas team? Five ownership groups have surfaced publicly: Magic Johnson's MAGI group; Bill Foley's Golden Knights consortium; Jerry Colangelo's Las Vegas Jacks (which also includes former NBA player and coach Vinny Del Negro, media executive David Levy, and analyst Jay Williams); Nancy Walton Laurie and her husband Bill Laurie; and Bob Iger and venture capital billionaire Joshua Kushner. Dana White said on August 10 that he has also been approached. Fenway Sports Group — which includes LeBron James — has confirmed it is no longer interested after previously expressing intent.
Where would a Las Vegas team play? T-Mobile Arena is the leading candidate, with Bill Foley saying he would invest $300–400 million in renovations. Multiple new arena projects have also been proposed: the Las Vegas Diamond Arena (11 acres on the South Strip, 21,212 seats); a Caesars Entertainment/VICI Properties arena on 50 acres behind the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas; and several other proposals from MAGI, Oak View Group, LVXP, and the Three Tribes group. Given the 2028–29 target start date, a new arena is unlikely to be ready in time — making T-Mobile Arena the probable interim home.
How would the expansion draft work? Based on the 2004 Charlotte expansion precedent, each existing team would protect up to eight players. Las Vegas and Seattle would each select one player per team. Both new franchises would also receive a lottery pick in their first eligible NBA Draft.
What happens to conference alignment? Adding Las Vegas and Seattle — both Western Conference markets — would force realignment to 16 teams per conference. The most likely candidates to move East are the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Memphis Grizzlies.
For Seattle, the Las Vegas complexity is a strategic asset. The more contested and uncertain the Vegas process becomes — with five ownership groups, multiple arena proposals, and no clear front-runner — the more the NBA may value Seattle's comparatively straightforward situation: one ownership group, one ready arena, one governor who has publicly declared his confidence in the Sonics' return.