NBA-гийн удирдлагууд лигийн багийн тоог 30-аас 32 болгон нэмэгдүүлэх асуудлыг хэлэлцэж байгаа бөгөөд Сиэтл болон Лас Вегасыг шинэ багийн хотуудаар нэрлээд байна.
NBA-гийн комиссар Адам Силвер тус асуудал одоогоор судалгааны шатандаа байгааг онцолсон бөгөөд багийн эзэмшлийн бүлгүүд, ордон болон санхүүгийн бүтцийг сайтар үнэлэх шаардлагатай байгаа юм. Лиг энэхүү үйл явцад туслахаар PJT Partners компанийг хөлсөлсөн бөгөөд 2026 оны сүүлч гэхэд өргөтгөлийн талаар тодорхой шийдвэр гаргахаар төлөвлөж байна. Хэрэв төлөвлөгөө ёсоор бол 2028 оны зун өргөтгөлийн драфт явагдаж, шинэ багууд бүрэлдэхүүнээ бүрдүүлэх боломжтой болно.
Сиэтл хот 2008 онд “СуперСоникс” багаа алдсанаас хойш NBA-гийн баггүй болсон бөгөөд Climate Pledge Arena нь томоохон хэмжээний тоглолт зохион байгуулах бүрэн боломжтой юм. Харин Лас Вегас хот нь Зуны лигийн гол төв болон хөгжиж, жилийн турш NBA-гийн үйл ажиллагаа явуулах боломжтой зах зээл хэмээн үнэлэгдэж байна.
Шинэ багууд нэмэгдсэнээр лигийн бүсийн хуваарилалтад өөрчлөлт орох шаардлагатай болно. Сиэтл болон Лас Вегас нь Өрнөд бүсэд харьяалагдах нь тодорхой тул одоогийн нэг багийг Дорнод бүс рүү шилжүүлэх хэрэгтэй бөгөөд энэ хувилбарт Миннесота Тимбервулвз тэргүүлэх нэр дэвшигчээр яригдаж байна. Газар зүйн байршлын хувьд тус баг Дорнод бүсийн зах зээлтэй илүү ойр байрладаг нь үүнийг логиктой сонголт болгож байна.
Өргөтгөлийн драфтын үеэр одоогийн багууд тодорхой тооны тоглогчоо хамгаалж, үлдсэнийг нь шинэ багуудад сонгох боломжтой болгох зарчим үйлчлэх төлөвтэй байна. Энэхүү үйл явц нь багуудын хувьд тоглогчдын бүрэлдэхүүнээ шинэчлэх, шинэ багуудад тоглогчоо алдахгүй байх тал дээр сорилттой зуныг авчрах магадлалтай юм. Санхүүгийн хувьд шинэ багийн эзэмшлийн эрхийн үнэлгээ өмнөх өргөтгөлүүдээс хамаагүй өндөр байх төлөвтэй байгаа нь лигийн үнэлгээ огцом өссөнийг илтгэж байна.
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The NBA’s long-discussed expansion plans are beginning to take much clearer shape.
The league is advancing toward a possible move from 30 to 32 teams, with Seattle and Las Vegas remaining the expected destinations for the two new franchises and the 2028-29 season still viewed as the target for their debut. An expansion draft could therefore take place in the summer of 2028, giving both new teams an opportunity to build their initial rosters before entering the league.
Nothing is formally finalized yet. Commissioner Adam Silver has repeatedly stressed that the NBA is still in the exploration phase, and the league still has to evaluate ownership groups, arena situations, financial structures and the broader impact of expansion before a final vote. The NBA has hired PJT Partners to assist with that process and continues to target the end of 2026 for greater clarity on whether the expansion will officially move forward.
Seattle’s position is especially significant. The city has been without an NBA team since the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008, and Climate Pledge Arena gives the market an established major-league venue. Las Vegas, meanwhile, has become one of the NBA’s most important offseason hubs through Summer League and has rapidly evolved into a major professional sports market. Silver recently described Las Vegas as a place where the league could envision year-round activity around an NBA franchise.
If both teams are eventually added, the league would also have to realign its conferences.
Because Seattle and Las Vegas would both naturally fit in the Western Conference, one current Western Conference franchise would have to move East to create two 16-team conferences. Minnesota is increasingly viewed as the leading candidate for that shift. Geographically, the Timberwolves are much closer to several Eastern Conference markets than many of their current Western opponents, making them a logical option in any realignment discussion.
An expansion draft would represent another major step in the process. While the exact rules have not been established, previous NBA expansion drafts have required existing teams to protect a portion of their rosters while making other players available to the incoming franchises. The two expansion teams would then select from that pool, with restrictions designed to prevent any current club from losing too many players.
That process could create one of the most unusual offseasons in recent NBA history. Teams would not only be preparing for the normal draft, free agency and trade market, but also deciding which players they are willing to expose to two brand-new franchises.
The financial stakes could be enormous as well. Recent reporting has suggested that prospective ownership bids could reach unprecedented levels, with Las Vegas potentially commanding an even higher price than Seattle. Those numbers remain estimates, but they underline how dramatically franchise values have increased since the NBA last expanded.
For Seattle, expansion would mean the return of NBA basketball after two decades away. For Las Vegas, it would complete the city’s transformation into one of North America’s major professional sports markets. For Minnesota, it could mean an entirely new conference identity after decades in the West.
There are still significant decisions ahead, but the direction is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
If the current timeline holds, the summer of 2028 could feature an expansion draft, conference realignment and the construction of two entirely new NBA rosters — before Seattle and Las Vegas officially take the court as the league’s 31st and 32nd teams that fall.
The post NBA Expansion Toward 32 Teams Gains Momentum, With Seattle And Las Vegas Targeted for 2028-29 appeared first on OpenCourt Basketball.
