The NBA’s potential expansion into Las Vegas and Seattle is bringing massive franchise valuations into focus, with prospective ownership groups expected to compete for two potential new teams.
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As the discussion turned to Las Vegas, Mr. Odin Pollynise reacted to the possibility of the franchise selling for around $12 billion, saying, “It’s going to be insane because it’s in Vegas. It’s going to sell probably for about 12 billion. Absolutely.” He then gave his blunt assessment of the valuation, calling it “the greatest scam there is.”
The comment came during a discussion about the potential opening bids for the expansion franchises. Byron Scott then claimed he had personal knowledge of people bidding for the Las Vegas team and said they had told him their bid would start at $10 billion, while he expects the eventual figure to approach $12 billion or go even higher.
Pollynise’s remark came as the conversation focused on the enormous amount of money potentially required to secure the Las Vegas franchise. The speakers were comparing the projected valuation with previous NBA franchise sales, putting the scale of the current figures into focus.
Jay Wagers then asked Scott whether he believed Las Vegas could sell for more than the Lakers. Scott said it could come close to that level while pointing to the reported opening figure.
“Yeah. Or close to it. Yeah. Cuz opening bids, opening bid is like 10 billion.”
The conversation then moved to the Clippers’ 2014 sale. Pollynise recalled that the franchise had been valued around $900 million to $1.2 billion before Steve Ballmer ultimately purchased the team for $2 billion.
The comparison shows how much NBA franchise valuations have changed over the past decade. A potential $10 billion opening bid would be several times higher than the Clippers’ purchase price from 2014.
Scott then provided more detail about the information he said he had received from prospective Las Vegas ownership groups.
“Yeah. And I got personal knowledge of dealing with some people in Vegas that I’ve talked to who are bidding for the Vegas team and they told me what they bid was 10 billion. They That’s what their bid is going to be. 10 billion to start.”
Scott was then asked whether that opening figure could be pushed higher. He said he expects the bidding to move toward $12 billion or beyond.
“I do. I think it’s going to go It’s going to be close to that 12 billion, if not more than 12 billion. It’s going to be They want those teams. It’s going to be close.”
Pollynise also pointed to the amount of capital available among potential ownership groups, saying, “Most cities, they have people sitting there with billions waiting.”
The discussion comes as the NBA formally explores expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle. The league’s Board of Governors authorized the exploration, with the process focused on prospective markets, ownership groups, arena infrastructure and the broader economics of expansion.
Adam Silver has also stressed that expansion is not guaranteed. “There is absolutely a chance expansion may not happen,” the NBA commissioner said while explaining that the league still had to evaluate the variables involved before making a final decision.
The NBA is aiming to reach an expansion decision by the end of 2026, but no franchise has been awarded yet. That leaves Scott’s $10 billion claim as a reported opening bid from people he says are involved in the Las Vegas process, while his projection of a $12 billion-plus final figure remains his expectation.
If the NBA ultimately moves forward with Las Vegas and Seattle, the financial terms could set another benchmark for franchise values across the league. For now, the size of the reported bids shows how much the potential expansion markets are already commanding attention from prospective ownership groups.