The NBA has considered expansion for several years, but it has consistently said its horizon is not to do so in the short-term. The league may be getting closer to movement in this area, according to Bill Simmons of The Ringer.
"I have some intel," said Simmons on his podcast. "I think the league is going to expand to Vegas and to Seattle. And I think the leading contender to get that Vegas team is going to be the Fenway Sports Group. They have Liverpool. They bought the Penguins. They've been circling different NBA teams for a while. I think they looked at Minnesota. I think they're the leading contender to Vegas.
"If I had to bet on a LeBron scenario, it would be for him to be involved with whatever happens with that where he is the point man of that Vegas team. I haven't heard that mentioned. I don't care if that gets aggregated because I think I'm right. I think that is scenario A for LeBron. He wants to be an owner. I think he wants to run one of these teams.
"And I think conversely, I think the NBA is looking at this going 'We can add these huge expansion things.'
"I heard combined, we're talking $6.5 billion to $7 billion for the two teams."
While the existing 30 teams would lose out long-term over an additional split of media rights, they would receive cash up front in the form of the expansion fee.
"Ultimately, they want LeBron to be the point man of the team. They did this with [Michael] Jordan, we watched them do it. I think they want to do it with LeBron.
"How's that going to work with him playing basketball? I don't know. Could it be Fenway Sports Group buys Vegas and then LeBron plays them for two years and then eventually joins as the lead owners? I don't know. Can you see Adam Silver bending the rules making it so an owner could also play for the team? Would you put it past Adam Silver? He's bent over for the players in all these different ways."
Simmons added that expansion is getting closer.
"I think it is officially real," said Simmons. "In rich guy circles, there's a lot of people jockeying. I think that's why some people let the Minnesota thing go. Minnesota, everyone agrees, got a pretty good deal. But I think there's a feeling two more teams are coming. Wait for the two teams. I think they're going to be really, really, really, really focused on having minority representation with the two ownership groups. However that happens. LeBron is definitely going to be involved in that. I think that would be my prediction."
Simmons predicts Seattle and Las Vegas will each have a team within the next five or six years.