NBA expansion to Seattle is no longer a lock as Adam Silver floats Mexico City and pushes bids higher

Seattle's path back to the NBA just got bumpier.

Commissioner Adam Silver left owners with the impression that a Seattle expansion team is no longer a lock after last month's board of governors meeting. He also reintroduced Mexico City as a possible destination according to multiple ownership sources who spoke about the talks.

Vegas first

Las Vegas remains the clear priority. A decision on a winning bid there could come within weeks and the expansion fee talk has climbed toward and past the $10 billion range when arena development is counted. Silver has not promised that two teams would be added at the same time the way the league did in the late 1980s and mid-1990s.

Seattle bids trail

Two known groups are bidding for Seattle. The group led by Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena owner Samantha Holloway has long been viewed as the favorite. Those offers are substantially lower than what the Vegas bidding war is driving and Silver's job is to raise the price.

A Mexico City-based group has approached the league's expansion partner PJT Partners about a franchise and an arena district. Ownership sources say the concept is useful as leverage even if Mexico City is far from ready-made.

Why it matters

Each current team is budgeting for an expansion-fee windfall in the $500 million to $600 million range if two clubs are added. Leaving Seattle off the board would mean hundreds of millions less for every owner. The SuperSonics played in Seattle from 1967 to 2008 before moving to Oklahoma City. Fans still want them back. Champagne stays on ice for now.