Will an NBA team make its way to Sin City? This is what everyone is keeping an eye on, as there’s more and more optimism that things will get done. Now, NBA hopes for a Las Vegas team increases with arena news coming in earlier this month. In case you missed it, the Oak View Group released its plans for a $3 billion resort, which will include a $1 billion arena.
That new area will have 20,000 seats. Now let us ask you this, if this new kind of an arena is being built, do you think Las Vegas officials don’t have an NBA team on their minds? This is surely what’s being thought, as it would really open the door for the NBA league office to really consider Las Vegas for a future team. So, when will the next steps be taken?
Per a report, construction will get started come 2023. This kind of a plan isn’t going to happen overnight, though, as the expected completion date is expected to be in 2026. With that, it will of course give the city plenty of time to keep on trying to make these NBA dreams go down. There’s been talks of an expansion team, but no one knows when that will happen.
On top of that, there’s also been conversations about a team possibly relocating down the road. We’ve of course seen this happen in the past. Most notable, in recent years, we saw the Seattle Sonics leave the Pacific Northwest and make their way to Oklahoma City. Could something like this happen with a current team with a move to Las Vegas? That’s something to watch.
It goes without saying, but pro teams’ success is opening the door for the NBA arriving to Las Vegas at some point down the road too. At this point 10 years ago, there were no pro teams from the major USA leagues. However, things have since changed in a massive way, as the Golden Knights are in the NHL and the Raiders moved from Oakland to Sin City.
Starting with the Golden Knights, they’ve been downright electric from their first season in the NHL. They’ve drawn a massive crowd over to Las Vegas, with people consistently checking out the NHL odds through all of the best rated sportsbooks and placing bets on them. This is only going to continue, as the team has fans believing that a Stanley Cup could be on the way down the road.
Moving on to the Raiders in the NFL, they haven’t been quite as inspiring as the Golden Knights, but a major offseason has fans fired up about the future. Not only did the team sign Derek Carr to his three-year extension, but they also made countless headlines by trading for Davante Adams. Adams is no doubt one of the best wideouts in the game, arguably No. 1 on the list. He and Aaron Rodgers were sensational together in Green Bay.
With all of this said, Las Vegas is turning into a serious sports town. People love watching NBA action during Summer League contests, but folks in town who love basketball are ready for consistent action. This new arena/casino plan will be huge in trying to get a team to town. Only time will tell if it helps send Las Vegas over the top. The belief is that it will.
The $1 million question is when could the NBA arrive to Las Vegas? That’s something that is totally up in the air, as they’re not the only major city who is hoping to get in on the hoops fun. As has been reported several times, both Kansas City and Seattle figure to be in the mix to try and land an NBA team as well. People all over Seattle want the Sonics back. Folks miss the days of Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton putting on a show.
However, the development of this new 20,000 arena, which will be located within a massive new resort and casino, could help push Vegas over these other spots. With the MLB also being linked to a Las Vegas move, we could see all four major leagues make their way to town. This would be incredible to see. Down the road, it really is something that could come to fruition. The passion for the game is already there, which is huge.
NBA bets are always being made in Las Vegas, but you better believe that things will reach a new level if the city is given a team. As of now, people can only hope that things end up changing and a team arrives sooner than later. Once this new arena is finalized, then you can expect the NBA talks to get even spicier. People all over Las Vegas will be waiting for some big news to come in.
