Will the National Basketball Association ever make its way to Sin City? That’s been the hope for years now, especially with the success of the Summer League in recent years. It’d sure be huge, especially after the NHL arrived to town, plus the NFL with the Raiders. Well, an NBA expansion team could head to Las Vegas down the road, which would be massive. So, could it actually go down?
In some exciting news, Commissioner Adam Silver is leaving the door open for the NBA to arrive in Las Vegas soon enough. This would of course come via expansion, and there are surely other cities that would be in the mix here as well. This includes Seattle. The city has been hoping to bring in an NBA team ever since the Sonics were sold and ended up moving to Oklahoma City. It’s something that the fans in that area haven’t gotten over.
With Las Vegas specifically, the addition of an NBA team makes a whole lot of sense. We surely have seen the incredible amount of support for the game in Sin City with the NBA Summer League. Fans pack Vegas to watch some exciting NBA action. Now, the league appears to potentially be ready to try and make it a full-time thing. Silver has his eyes on Las Vegas, which is amazing news.
“Silver said the NBA is not at the point of expansion, but said Las Vegas will be in contention to land a franchise when that time comes,” Las Vegas Journal-Review reporter Mike Akers said in a news update this week. “It’s on a list at the point that we do turn to expansion, which isn’t right now, but at some point, no doubt Vegas will be on the list.”
If you’re a basketball fan in Las Vegas, how can you see this report from Akers and not get excited? Folks have been dreaming of watching NBA regular-season games on a consistent level. That hasn’t been the case yet, but things could certainly change once the NBA indeed is ready to expand. If they add two teams, Las Vegas and Seattle would of course make the most sense. Who would complain about this?
In another positive for Las Vegas as a whole, Adam Silver is clearly a fan of hoops in Las Vegas. Time and time again he’s been asked about the Summer League and the excitement it brings to town. Everyone has been able to see how much the game means to folks over there. Add in the fact that the commissioner likes the idea of basketball in Las Vegas and it could eventually help send things over the top.
“It was never for us about being first,” Silver said recently about the idea of the NBA in Las Vegas potentially happening at some point. “In the old days we were one of the leagues that welcomed engagement in Las Vegas. Put aside the gambling aspect, we always thought it was a good market.”
So, Silver thinks it’s a good market? Of course, it is. We’ve seen the success for the Las Vegas Knights in the NHL and the Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL. The additions of these two pro sports teams have been incredible to see and it’s also added to the boom for local businesses. Could you imagine what would happen here if the NBA also comes? Folks would head to the Las Vegas sportsbooks with even more excitement to get wagers in.
You’d have people checking out the best NBA betting odds for their favorite team. It would make the games even bigger and better in Las Vegas. Betting of course is always going to be a massive aspect when it comes to sports in Las Vegas. With all of that said, there’s no indication that a move is in the cards for expansion. However, once that does happen, look for Vegas to make a strong push.
The question folks have on their minds is when could an NBA expansion arrive? Well, the important thing to keep in mind here is that at least two teams would need to be added, as Silver and Co. wouldn’t want there to be an odd amount of teams in the league. That would just create a bit of a problem for the conferences. Things have to be kept even.
No expansion is expected to be discussed in the coming months, but there’s the potential for 2023 to bring in a new team. The 2022-23 season could prove to be far too soon, as there’s going to need to be plenty of planning for things to move forward. With that said, cities like Las Vegas, Seattle, Buffalo, St. Louis and others have showcased plenty of interest. There’s strong sports support there and bettors would surely make plenty of wagers.
From our chair, however, Seattle and Las Vegas make the most sense. Both cities have incredible basketball communities and they’ve proven that they can bring in plenty of fan support as well. Sports betting is also legal in those two respective states, which is massive. Keep your fingers crossed here, Seattle and Las Vegas basketball fans.
