Commissioner Adam Silver said to expect a decision on expansion in 2026.
LAS VEGAS — The NBA Cup, a contrived tournament used to generate interest in the league during the NFL and college football seasons, has served its purpose.
People watched. They bet. The players played hard. After all, how often can you pick up $530,933 for just over two hours’ work? That’s what each player on the winning team received Tuesday night.
Whether it intends to remain in Las Vegas? Well, that’s a different story.
The local NBA fan base which has supported the league for decades, be it through Lakers preseason games, the Summer League or the NBA Cup, have been patiently awaiting word that Las Vegas will join the NBA family permanently, be it as an expansion franchise or via relocation. It is a subject that has been broached numerous times over the years with commissioner Adam Silver and it’s always the same response: “We love Las Vegas. We think it’s a great market. But right now, we’re not entertaining expansion.”
But perhaps we’re getting closer to a decision.
Tuesday, Silver once again addressed expansion prior to the NBA Cup championship, which saw the New York Knicks outlast the San Antonio Spurs 124-113 in front of an announced crowd of 18,609.
“I think we at the league office are still working on the economic model, want to make sure it makes sense,” Silver said. “I’d say in terms of domestic expansion, that is something we're continuing to look at. Not a secret we're looking at this market in Las Vegas. We are looking at Seattle. We've looked at other markets, as well. I'd say I want to be sensitive there about this notion that we're somehow teasing these markets, because I know we've been talking about it for a while.
“As I've said before, domestic expansion, as opposed to doing a new league in Europe, is selling equity in this current league. If you own 1/30 of this league, now you own 1/32 if you add two teams. So it's a much more difficult economic analysis. In many ways, it requires predicting the future.
“At the same time, I think Seattle and Las Vegas are two incredible cities,” he continued. “Obviously we had a team in Seattle that had great success. We have a WNBA team here in Las Vegas in the Aces. We've been playing the Summer League here for 20 years. We're playing our Cup games here, so we're very familiar with this market.
“I don't have any doubt that Las Vegas, despite all of the other major league teams that are here now, the other entertainment properties, that this city could support an NBA team. I think now we're in the process of working with our teams and gauging the level of interest and having a better understanding of what the economics would be on the ground for those particular teams and what a pro forma would look like for them, and then sometime in 2026 we'll make a determination.”
Sound optimistic? Perhaps. But my gut tells me we’re likely going to have to settle for the status quo, which means Summer League, the WNBA and a Lakers preseason game. If the league decides to keep the NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena, so be it. But after three years of being part of the event’s launch and its foundation, I’m afraid Las Vegas will lose it.
Never forget the fact the NBA is a business and as a business, it has the right to do what it sees fit in order to turn a profit. Right now, it doesn’t see itself in need of expansion. Of course, that can change at any time. If two cities are willing to pony up $4 billion or more apiece and accept not getting a piece of the pie for a while, I guess the Board of Governors would look at it. After all, free money is free money.
But, as Silver said, there’s a sizable difference between a 1/30th share and a 1/32nd share of basketball related income.
LeBron James talks about owning a Vegas franchise. Ditto for Shaquille O’Neal. There’s a plan to sink $300 million in improvements to T-Mobile Arena, which, believe it or not, turns 10 years old next spring. Perhaps Golden Knights owner Bill Foley eventually comes to the rescue for the city and brings in some minority investors if the NBA ever decides to expand here.
But at this point, there’s no plans for an NBA-exclusive arena here. The Oak View Group pulled the plug in the spring on its proposed $3 billion arena-hotel-casino project. And the LVXP project remains dormant, though it has reportedly hired an architect for its proposed NBA arena on the Las Vegas Strip which would include a luxury hotel and a casino.
Deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said Tuesday that no decision has been made on whether or not to remain at T-Mobile Arena.
“Las Vegas has been a great host,” Tatum said. “We’re having conversations with our partners, with Amazon. But we haven’t made a decision on Las Vegas.”
For locals, there’s simply no connection with the NBA Cup other than it’s in their city and the league expects you to support it, the way you support Summer League. We all know there’s a vast difference between going to the Thomas & Mack in July and T-Mobile in December., both from a financial and an aesthetic standpoint.
And folks here aren’t stupid. If their favorite team is participating, perhaps they’ll look into going. If not, they’ll avoid the hassles of getting to T-Mobile, paying $35 to park and all the other expenses that go into the experience and stay home. They can bet the game on their phone app and watch from the comfort of their living room if they desire.
So if you think Las Vegas is at the front of the line for an NBA team, guess again. As for the NBA Cup, if this is farewell, then bon chance. Thanks for stopping by.
Category: General Sports
