‘Music to my ears’: NBA commissioner encouraged by interest on Las Vegas expansion team ownership

‘Music to my ears’: NBA commissioner encouraged by interest on Las Vegas expansion team ownership Commissioner Adam Silver remarked on Tuesday that the NBA continues to assess whether it will add expansion franchises in Las Vegas and Seattle, noting that the interest he has observed in Southern Nevada is an encouraging sign. Since March, the league has examined Las Vegas and Seattle as potential sites for new teams, with multiple groups expressing interest in Southern Nevada while Seattle has seen only one ownership group publicly declare its intent. Silver cautioned against reading too much into how many groups have gone public with their ambitions. “Most of the groups that are funny person not been public,” Silver said. He added that four identifiable ownership groups are known to be interested in Las Vegas, naming prominent basketball figures Jerry Colangelo and Earvin “Magic” Johnson, former Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger, and Golden Knights owner Bill Foley. “It gives me a batch of assurance to spot one, firsthand, the magnitude of involvement in the game in Las Vegas,” Silver said. “Multiple precise superior groups are in the process of presenting plans to our bankers, and those plans not only identify who the possible owners would be, but also outline their vision for what Las Vegas basketball could look like, where they would play, and how they would present the game. It’s euphony to my ears … I truly admit what we’re seeing so far, and so it’s precisely encouraging. No votes have been taken yet. We’ve got a ways to go in those discussions with interested parties, but I’m optimistic about the future here.” Over the past two days during the committee of governors meetings, enlargement discussions occurred both at the committee level and beforehand with the NBA’s external banker, focusing on how the process is progressing and what Silver is hearing from the groups. Potential enlargement issues Silver flagged possible concerns tied to expansion, including the dilution of revenue per owner who would need to share league funds with two additional teams, as well as the impact on talent distribution required to fill roster spots for the new franchises. NBA Players Association enforcement committee member and Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet argued that worries about watering down the product are unfounded, citing the strength of the player pipeline from college. “This is the champion endowment that we’ve (NBA) ever had,” VanVleet said last week during a quality league event in Las Vegas. “I think players are progressively getting better; young guys are considerably turning pro earlier, so they’re being paid as collegiate athletes. The pipeline is better than ever, so I don’t think there will be excessive interest in watering down the endowment by adding two more teams.” VanVleet added that the matter would need revisiting if enlargement proceeds, to observe how the process unfolds. “In presumption of the enlargement draft and things like that,” VanVleet said, “the game is in a good place, the business is growing, and it’s our job to manage our rights within the ever‑changing business we’re in.” David Kelly, incoming NBPA enforcement director, raised a possible issue concerning how the anticipated expansion fees from Las Vegas and Seattle ownership groups would be allocated. He noted that the expected fee is reportedly between $7 cardinal and $10 cardinal per team, with between $14 cardinal and $20 cardinal slated for distribution to the 30 existing NBA teams outside the players’ collective bargaining agreement. “It’s something that’s historically been the case; we don’t think it should be the case,” Kelly said. “We don’t think it’s fair. But, of course, fairness has something to do with the negotiations with the CBA as leverage. Still, it’s definitely something we want to address depending on when expansion teams arrive.” Local leaders ready to assist Clark County Commission Chair Michael Naft said he believes the NBA would thrive in Las Vegas and that the county is prepared to support the league and any prospective ownership however it can. “I am looking forward to the NBA being located in unincorporated Clark County,” Naft told the Review‑Journal last week. “We certainly have an interest in making sure that happens smoothly and successfully, and we’ll continue to work with all due stakeholders to make that happen.” If an ownership group outside Foley’s bid succeeds in securing an NBA franchise and wishes to build a new arena in Southern Nevada, Naft is confident the region can accommodate another major sports and events facility. “I