Las Vegas is still firmly in the NBA expansion conversation, but the groups chasing a franchise are waiting for the league to tell them what comes next.
The next deadline in the NBA's expansion bid process has not yet been communicated to groups in Las Vegas and Seattle, according to reporting published Sunday.
Multiple Las Vegas groups remain involved
Several groups are still connected to the Las Vegas effort. They include a group involving former Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo, a group led by Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley, and a group headed by Nancy Walton Laurie and Bill Laurie.
Foley's group met the league's most recent bid filing deadline on Sept. 17, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The groups are primarily working with PJT Partners, the investment bank the NBA brought in to guide the expansion process.
The NBA has been talking seriously about Las Vegas
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this month that league owners had significant discussion about Las Vegas as an expansion market. The league has been studying how adding teams would affect revenue sharing, talent distribution and the overall business of the NBA.
In an NBA update after the Board of Governors meetings, Silver said there was enthusiasm around Las Vegas and noted the city's ability to support year-round activity. He also said the league is aiming to reach an expansion decision by the end of 2026.
If the NBA moves forward with expansion, the current target is for new teams to begin play in the 2028-29 season.
Las Vegas still has a lot at stake
An NBA franchise would add another major-league team to a city that already has the Golden Knights, Raiders and Aces, with the Athletics also building toward their Las Vegas future.
The unanswered questions are still big ones. The league has not selected an ownership group, a final arena plan or a franchise price for Las Vegas. But the process is active, the local bidders remain engaged, and the city continues to be one of the markets at the center of the league's expansion work.
For now, the next move belongs to the NBA.
