NBA Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed the league is targeting the end of 2026 to finalize its long-awaited expansion. Seattle and Las Vegas remain the presumed front-runners for the two new franchise slots.
Speaking following the Board of Governors meeting at the Las Vegas Summer League, Silver outlined a roadmap that could see new franchises tip off by the 2028-29 season. He also provided a timeline for the ongoing investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers’ salary cap practices and fiercely defended the controversial collective bargaining agreement.
The league’s international footprint is set to widen significantly. Silver revealed that the NBA and FIBA are moving closer to launching a new European league by the fall of 2027. He and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum are scheduled to meet with potential ownership groups in New York alongside the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
Back domestically, a major regulatory cloud hangs over the Los Angeles Clippers. Silver stated that the complex 11-month investigation led by law firm Wachtell Lipton into alleged salary cap circumvention regarding Kawhi Leonard’s endorsement deal with Aspiration Fund is expected to conclude this summer. The stakes are unusually high. According to an Associated Press report on Silver’s press conference, potential penalties could include voiding contracts, substantial fines, and the loss of draft capital.
This level of cap circumvention scrutiny is rare. The most significant historical precedent occurred in 2000 with the Joe Smith and Milwaukee Bucks scandal, which resulted in heavy fines and the forfeiture of multiple first-round draft picks.
Silver used the platform to defend the current collective bargaining agreement and its restrictive “second apron”. The commissioner declared the system is working incredibly well to spread talent and enforce parity, pointing to the reality of eight different champions over the past eight seasons.
That enthusiasm is not shared by the players’ union. NBPA executive director David Kelly explicitly stated the union is not fans of the second apron and vowed to push back in future negotiations. Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma has also publicly criticized the rule, characterizing it as a de facto hard cap on player value.