Seattle is everybody’s favourite to become the next NBA expansion team when the league eventually expands. The league will need a 32nd team to balance both the Eastern and Western conferences and a Las Vegas NBA expansion team is making more sense by the day.
The league could do with the revenue injection after the NBA lost money because of COVID-19 and two expansion franchises could net the league up to $4 billion. Why will Las Vegas become the next NBA expansion team?
From having no major league franchises to having the Golden Knights in the NHL, the Raiders in the NFL and the Aces in the WNBA. Is Las Vegas getting a bit greedy now? Nah. It’s called Sin City for a reason and locals are allowed to overindulge with another major league team.
Las Vegas already knows how to handle a professional basketball team after relocating the Silver Stars from San Antonio in 2017. The Aces have played in the WNBA since 2018 and are owned by Mark Davis, who also owns the Raiders.
Speaking of millionaires, there are rumours that LeBron James could be part of a Las Vegas NBA expansion team ownership group. In fact, there are at least seven billionaires in Las Vegas and the city won’t have any issues with finding investors who are willing to make money from a franchise in Vegas.
From today’s BS Podcast: Why I believe the NBA is going to expand to Vegas and Seattle sooner than later, and why I believe LeBron will be part of the Vegas ownership group when it happens.pic.twitter.com/gBc5W3ixle
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) February 28, 2022
Las Vegas NBA expansion is looking even more likely following the purchase of a 25-acre piece of land about 10 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip. The intention of the owners is to build a 20,000-seat arena to lure an NBA team to Las Vegas. Build it and they’ll come, right?
All Net Resort and Arena will break ground in Las Vegas this October 🤩
💰 Cost $4 BILLION
🏟 23,000 seat arena w/ retractable roof
🌃 2 hotels & a theater
👀 Could be used to a draw a NBA franchise to Vegas(h/t @8NewsNow) pic.twitter.com/de2Uo8WB2E
— br_betting (@br_betting) July 19, 2021
A valid argument against Las Vegas NBA expansion is that the metro area is smaller than both Sacramento and Austin. How’s Vegas going to support an NFL, NHL, WNBA and an NBA team all in a city smaller than Austin, who’ve only been able to get a Major League Soccer team in 2021? Sacramento can barely keep the Kings in their city.
So Las Vegas
A Metro smaller than Sacramento and Smaller than AustinIs going to support
A NFL Team
A WNBA team
A Hockey Team
All the already have
And
A NBA Team
And A Baseball Team— Nathan ‘Midnight Leader’ Harris, PhD (@NathanIHarris) April 21, 2022
Well, Las Vegas is unique. It’s a destination city that’s rife with gamblers and with the growth of sports gambling across America it’s only going to get bigger. As a centre for entertainment, fans of away teams who wouldn’t even consider travelling to support their team would be more likely to make a trip to Vegas as an exception. Imagine watching your team play an away game on a long weekend in Vegas.
Plenty sit thru NHL and NFL games now. We aren’t taking about a few visitors jerseys, a noticeable amount. Why do you think MLB and the NBA are talking Las Vegas. I would never go see my team in most cities, but Vegas would be one of the exceptions.
— Sergio Quintero (@MrSergioQ) April 22, 2022
Las Vegas also makes a solid case to become the next NBA expansion team with its track record of hosting the NBA Summer League, having hosted the event since 2004.
So Vegas, get ready to come up with a name for a Las Vegas NBA expansion team. The Las Vegas Sinners, or the Las Vegas Spades? Perhaps the Las Vegas Outlaws? This could be fun.
