NBA Swing: Takeaways from the September 2026 Board of Governors Meeting

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Earlier this week, the NBA Board of Governors met alongside Adam Silver to discuss numerous topics with the 2026-27 season just under five weeks away. After expressing excitement for the upcoming season, Silver would address several teams in the news, what’s to come in the future for the league, and expansion both domestically and internationally.

NBA Expansion is Still on Track

This starts the NBA’s 32-team expansion process. Multiple high-ranking officials have termed expansion as “when, not if.” Now the NBA will examine Seattle and Las Vegas bids over the next several months, and whether to execute the new franchise purchases now or in a few years. https://t.co/Rkd0fZ41c7

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 25, 2026

One of the biggest talking points during the Board of Governors meeting was the discussion of expansion that started earlier this year. As of September 15th, the NBA expansion remains focused on Seattle and Las Vegas as the most likely destinations for new teams. In Seattle, the SuperSonics are expected to be re-established, as multiple bids have been made for the new franchise. Conversations were limited on Seattle,e as Climate Pledge Arena, home of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and NHL’s Seattle Kraken, would be the expected home of Seattle’s future team.

Silver’s expansion talks would focus more on Las Vegas, as numerous questions remain. Several bids have been made for a new team in Las Vegas, and final bids are expected by the end of the year. The biggest question for the future Las Vegas team would be the arena. Adam Silver would mention Vegas’ T-Mobile arena (which has hosted several NBA Cup games) as a potential site but also mentioned the site would need numerous updates to meet the standards of most modern-day NBA arenas. Silver expects to have a final decision on both Seattle and Las Vegas by the end of the year, with the league looking to have both teams ready for the 2028-29 season.

Trouble in Portland?

Another team that would be mentioned directly during the Board of Governors meeting would be the Portland Trail Blazers. Following the purchase of the Trail Blazers by Tom Dundon in early 2026, there has been a lot of criticism towards Dundon, in addition to questions of the Blazers’ future in Portland. The Blazers have reportedly been in negotiations over a new arena, as the Moda Center in Portland is one of the oldest and lacking arenas in the league. If a deal can be reached, Dundon has stated he will commit to a 20-year extension for the Blazers to remain in Portland. The current deal is set to expire in 2030.

If a deal were to fall through, there is no telling where the Blazers could go if Dundon moved the team. With Seattle and Las Vegas expected to get new teams, in addition to North Carolina, home of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes (which Dundon also owns), already has an NBA team in the Charlotte Hornets.

“I would see it as a failure if we did not keep the team in Portland,” Adam Silver said, speaking about the situation during the meeting. He also said he hopes to help lower the tensions of the negotiations between the Blazers and the city of Portland. Since entering the league as an expansion team in 1970, the Blazers have always called Portland home. They have played at the Moda Center since its opening in 1995, when it was known as the Rose Garden.

NBA Europe is Right Around the Corner

Adam Silver would also mention the NBA’s expansion into Europe, something that has been brought up by Silver for several years now. Silver has proposed a 16-team league, with 12 teams being permanent and the remaining four being qualifying teams. He would say bids had been made in the 12 cities the league has been looking at for expansion. Cities eyed for teams include Rome, Italy, Barcelona, Spain, Berlin,n Germany, Lyon, France, Madrid, Spain, Manchester, England, Paris, France, Munich, Germany, London, England, Madrid, Spain, Istanbul, Turkey, and Milan, Italy.

Silver aims to work alongside FIBA and the EuroLeague, meeting with the organization last month. He has also mentioned wanting to respect the EuroLeague and what the league has done for European Basketball. It is currently unknown whether NBA Europe would follow the NBA’s style of play or that of FIBA Basketball, but many have already called for the latter, as the NBA’s style of play has been seen as incompatible with basketball in Europe. Silver plans to launch the inaugural season of NBA Europe in the fall of 2027.

Silver Justifies Punishment for Clippers

One team would not be represented during the Board of Governors meeting, with the Los Angeles Clippers being absent following the punishment of the franchise after the conclusion of the Clippers / Kawhi Leonard investigation. The punishment would consist of five forfeited draft picks from 2029 to 2033, a $30 million team fine, and suspensions to Steve Ballmer, general manager Lawrence Frank, and president of business operations Gillian Zucker.

Silver would say the punishment was meant to be a warning to other teams in order to prevent any other teams from committing the same acts. He would also acknowledge the punishment would be a setback for the organization and would be punishment to Clippers fans as well:

“We recognize that in some ways, we’re unfortunately punishing the fans of the team as well. That’s the balance we’re trying to seek. I don’t think in any way we’ve done permanent damage to this franchise.”

This would be the first punishment Silver would hand out for cap circumvention, with the previous punishment coming in 2000, under previous commissioner David Stern. With Clippers owner Steve Ballmer accepting the league’s punishment for the cap circumvention, Silver said he hopes that once Ballmer returns from his year-long suspension, there will not be any more issues going forward.