Washington governor Ferguson to meet NBA commissioner Silver virtually on Thursday

Ferguson to meet Silver on Thursday

Ferguson's office reached out to set up the meeting, which will be held virtually, according to the newspaper. The meeting comes as the league weighs expansion to Seattle and Las Vegas.

Ferguson said his role is to "maintain communication with the commissioner" and to be helpful in the process. "I still remain optimistic," he said, according to the Seattle Times. "I read all the same news that you do about what is going on with Las Vegas and Seattle. I don't pretend to have a crystal ball on that and those conversations going on with NBA owners." He added that Seattle has "the right arena" and that "we check each and every box."

The two had spoken before, including a virtual introduction on 5 February and again in March as the league moved closer to formally exploring expansion, the newspaper reported.

NBA opens expansion review

The NBA Board of Governors voted on 25 March to authorize the league to explore expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle and hired investment bank PJT Partners as a strategic adviser, the league said. "Today's vote reflects our Board's interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle," Silver said in a statement.

Any motion needs 23 of the 30 governors. A final vote later this year would also need that supermajority. The league has targeted the 2028-29 season for new teams.

What a franchise would cost

ESPN estimated each expansion team would cost $7bn to $10bn. The top of that range equals the record $10bn sale of the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter last year. The fee would be divided among the 30 existing owners. The Charlotte Bobcats paid a $300m expansion fee in 2004, the last time the league grew.

Las Vegas bids move ahead

Separately, ESPN's Shams Charania said the next round of Las Vegas bids is due on Thursday, with proposals reaching and potentially exceeding $10bn. He said the Las Vegas process has moved faster than Seattle's, while Seattle conversations continue.

Bloomberg reported the NBA had received signs of interest from multiple investor groups and that Las Vegas was drawing more interest than Seattle early on. No formal bids had been submitted at that point, the report said.

The Las Vegas field includes Magic Johnson's MAGI group, which met Nevada governor Joe Lombardo to discuss expansion, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Bill Foley, owner of the Golden Knights, has said he would invest $300m in renovations at T-Mobile Arena if he lands a team. LeBron James, an early voice of interest, has said he is no longer interested in joining a Las Vegas ownership group.

Seattle arena and ownership

One Roof Sports and Entertainment, led by Kraken chair Samantha Holloway, agreed to buy additional equity in Climate Pledge Arena from Oak View Group and become majority owner of the building. Holloway is preparing a potential bid, Bloomberg reported. A rival group would have to negotiate arena terms with One Roof or build its own.

"In Seattle, we have had operational groups out to Climate Pledge," Silver said. "We clearly have a state-of-the-art arena there."

The SuperSonics played in Seattle from 1967 to 2008 and won the 1979 title before a $350m sale and a move to Oklahoma City. As part of the settlement that let the team go, Clay Bennett agreed to keep the SuperSonics name and memorabilia in Seattle in case the city got another team.

Why some owners hesitate

Silver has described domestic expansion as selling equity in the current league: an owner who holds 1/30 would hold 1/32. "There's absolutely a chance that expansion will not happen," Silver said after the March vote. Some owners, he said, felt "we just frankly don't need to expand." He has dismissed the talent concern: "It's my view we have ample talent to fill 32 competitive teams."

What happens next

If both teams arrive, one existing club would switch conferences. Either Memphis or Minnesota would likely move from the West to the East to give each 16 teams. Silver has said he wants the question settled. "We need to know by the end of this calendar year what it is that we're doing," he said. Seattle last had a team in 2008; Las Vegas has never had one, though it has hosted Summer League since 2004.