NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addresses the media following the Board of Governors meeting on March 25, 2026.
NEW YORK – Of all the great NBA players who passed through the Seattle SuperSonics franchise in its 41-season existence, Kevin Durant’s stay was one of the shortest. He arrived in the summer of 2007 as the league’s No. 2 overall draft pick and got relocated a mere 12 months later, when the team moved to Oklahoma City.
Durant turned in a terrific debut season, earning Kia Rookie of the Year honors and joining Sonics teammate Jeff Green as All-Rookie First Team selections. The future was bright … until it wasn’t. Nineteen years later, Durant and Green aren’t just the last active links to that 2007-08 Seattle squad – remarkably, they are teammates again, ever since Durant joined Green this season on the Houston Rockets.
So when Durant heard the news late Monday in Chicago that their old city was about to get green-lit for one of two possible expansion franchises – news made official Wednesday at the NBA’s Board of Governors meeting – the legendary scorer beamed.
“It’s about time Seattle gets basketball back,” Durant said, after his team’s loss to the Bulls at United Center. “It’s been sorely missed in the Northwest.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was specific in his phrasing at a news conference Wednesday afternoon that the league is “exploring expansion,” not committing yet to expanding. There remain many variables in play, such as who the chosen ownership groups might be, the costs and benefits of a move that could bump league membership to 32 franchises, the availability of player talent to staff two more competitive teams and a final vote by the Governors.
The NBA has hired investment bank PJT Partners as a strategic adviser to evaluate potential owners, arena situations, and other financial issues. It hopes to be ready to move ahead by the end of 2026, Silver said.
“There is absolutely a chance expansion may not happen,” he acknowledged. “It’s also possible we could expand to one market. Maybe two, or no markets.”
Thus, the conjecture about a franchise entry fee ranging from $7-10 billion, built off recent sales of established franchises such as the Celtics and the Lakers, remains just that. The same goes for 2028-29 as the speculated inaugural season for any newcomers.
But Silver and the NBA consider Seattle and Las Vegas to be markets with long histories in supporting the league – likely to resume in the former’s case and continue in the latter’s. So much so that, unlike in previous expansion explorations, no other markets (Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Mexico City, etc.) emerged as contenders.
For all the details to be ironed out in the next eight months, both Seattle and Las Vegas meet broader requirements as familiar and presumably eager, lucrative destinations.
Seattle doesn’t just represent an investment opportunity – it’s a way to settle a debt as well. The SuperSonics were born in an earlier expansion and operated in the Pacific Northwest for 41 seasons from 1967 to 2008. They won the NBA championship in 1979, went to the Finals two other years and were fronted by notable players such as Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Spencer Haywood, Dennis Johnson, Gus Williams, Jack Sikma, Tom Chambers, Ray Allen, and briefly Durant.
