NBA leaning towards only one choice between Seattle, Las Vegas for expansion team

Bill Simmons has NBA news.

Buried in his "The Mailbag Makes a Dramatic Return" episode of his podcast, the Boston Celtics die-hard fan and basketball analyst is very much plugged into the hot gossip of the league, and according to him, the NBA will only have one expansion team between Seattle and Las Vegas.

And cue the sad trombone, it will not be the return of the Seattle Sonics, still the biggest travesty in the history of the league that the sports-crazed city lost their beloved SuperSonics.

Shawn Kemp on the Sonics | IMAGO / Dreamstime

(To add salt to the wound, the former Sonics are the reigning NBA champions as the Oklahoma City Thunder.)

So if you're a Sonics fan, don't read any further.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carries the Larry O'Brien trophy as he celebrates with fans as the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrate their first NBA Finals title win with a champions parade throughout downtown Oklahoma City on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. | Oklahoman-Imagn Images

"There is some Vegas buzz building again," Simmons said answering one of the questions of realignment if Seattle and Las Vegas were added. "I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that the league adds one more team, not two, and that they have 31 teams, and they jump on this Vegas market while there's a real opportunity and real money behind it."

Vegas has always been the must-have market in the last decade for professional sports teams, although that is still a major disservice to Seattle, which deserves all four major sports too. Maybe even more so.

Feb 4, 2023; Paradise, NV, USA; A general overall aerial view of Allegiant Stadium, the site of the 2023 Pro Bowl Games and Super Bowl 58 (LVIII). | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"And the price would have to be, my guess, what I've been told, is somewhere between $7 and $8 billion," Simmons continues. "At least $7, because that's... basically what the Celtics got... So let's say it's... $7.5 billion for a new Vegas team... Every team gets $250 million cash. They don't have to share it with the players... Just money into their pockets. And they'd be sacrificing going from a one-30th media rights to a one-31st media rights [slice]."

Our only question is, couldn't the return of the Sonics fetch the same price? And hasn't the Vegas tourism economy been struggling lately? It seems like there should at least be proper due diligence, especially given the recent scandals with the league and gambling.

"The expansion was dead," Simmons concludes. "I think they moved toward this NBA Europe thing. But there's some Vegas buzz again. I'm just telling you. And I look forward to other people reporting this down the road. And not mentioning this podcast."

We've left a paper trail for you Mr. Simmons. Now let's see if you're right!

May 28, 2018; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Young fans with a replica trophy before game one of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals at T-Mobile Arena. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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