The NBA is set to have a vote later in the month during the board of governors meetings to explore adding two expansion teams to the league in Las Vegas and Seattle. The two teams would begin play during the 2028-2029 season.
With it being a good chance that the proposal is agreed upon, that means there will be a conference realignment when it comes to other teams. There are already two teams that are being mentioned as possible options to move to the Eastern Conference, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
“Executives across the NBA expect either the Minnesota Timberwolves or Memphis Grizzlies to move to the East to realign conferences with 16 each when Seattle and Las Vegas become West teams,” Charania wrote.
The Grizzlies make perfect sense to be moved to the Eastern Conference, just because they're already on this side of the region. They're the one team that is in the Western Conference, but is nowhere near the West. That would bode well for them to be moved to the East, as they won't have to travel far all the time, as they've always had to.
As for the Timberwolves, that seems like another good option to the move to the East, because they're more in the Northeastern region of the US.
It will be interesting to see what the league agrees upon, but first, the vote has to be in favor of adding the expansion teams. This could be a big win for the league, as industry executives project proposals in the $7-10 billion range for each team, and it's estimated that the Las Vegas and Seattle markets would be a part of the NBA's top eight revenue generators.
After the first vote, there will be a potential final vote later in the year to finalize the transactions to 32 teams. 23 of 30 governors must vote in favor in both voting rounds.
