For Seattle, the latest movement is another step in a process for a potential Sonics return that has gathered speed this year.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says the league has had operational groups visit Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, and the league still plans on making an expansion decision by the end of 2026.
His brief comments came after a two-day meeting in New York City, where league owners were briefed on the status of the expansion process.
Most of Silver's comments after the long meeting concerned the punishment of Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who has accepted punishment over allegations he circumvented the salary cap to sign Kawhi Leonard.
Silver also gave an update on both the Las Vegas and Seattle expansion bids.
"In Seattle, we have had operational groups out to Climate Pledge," Silver said. "You clearly have a state-of-the-art arena there."
"It may require some modifications for NBA basketball, but if we were opening, you know, in five weeks, we could be ready in Seattle," Silver added. "So, because we can only take on so much at once, the more of the discussion was around Las Vegas."
Silver said the league may put Las Vegas behind Seattle in the process, given the status of the arenas.
"I think that there is real excitement around either, you know, a renovated T-Mobile Arena," Silver said. "I think everyone acknowledges if a team were to stay there, it still needs some significant improvements."
"But at the same time, there are groups who have presented plans to build what I would call, you know, a modern entertainment palace in Las Vegas," Silver added. "And it's a unique market where you could truly see, you know, essentially 365-day-a-year activity."
Silver also cast doubt on the question marks of the Las Vegas arena situation.
"In Las Vegas, it's not even clear what the site will be, let alone the arena yet," said Silver. "Therefore, it's a much longer timeline [compared to Seattle] before we can throw the ball up for NBA basketball."
For Seattle, the latest movement is another step in a process that has gathered speed this year, even as the league has repeatedly cautioned that expansion is not assured.
In March, the NBA Board of Governors approved a formal exploration of potential teams in Seattle and Las Vegas and hired investment bank PJT Partners to evaluate the markets, ownership groups, arena infrastructure and the broader economics of expansion.
It was the clearest action by the league toward a Seattle return since the Supersonics left for Oklahoma City in 2008.
Commissioner Adam Silver said in July that the league office had begun its detailed work on both markets with a decision to be finalized, one way or the other, by the end of this year.
The process is being reviewed by the league's Advisory and Finance Committee and its Audit, Compensation and Strategy Committee, rather than by a stand-alone expansion committee.
The questions in front of the NBA are financial as much as basketball-related.
Silver had said the league can choose to add zero, one, or two teams.
Silver also said current owners must decide whether potential expansion fees justify diluting their shares of league revenue.
That calculation has become even more expensive in recent months. The sale of the Los Angeles Lakers at a record $12.5 billion valuation reset expectations across the NBA.
Sports business analysts have said an expansion franchise could cost well into the billions, with Las Vegas expected to establish the market's high-water mark because of its deeper pool of prospective ownership groups.
The NBA's announcement Tuesday about the Sonics' better arena situation contrasts with a previously published report that indicated the NBA could prioritize selecting a Las Vegas ownership group before turning to Seattle, in part to lock in the highest possible franchise fee.
Las Vegas has long been a central NBA outpost, hosting the NBA's Summer League since 2004 as well as preseason games and the NBA Cup's early championship rounds.
Its ownership race has attracted several publicly known bidders.
Seattle's public picture has been quieter. Seattle Kraken majority owner Samantha Holloway remains the leader in the NBA clubhouse, by all indications.
Holloway has majority control of Climate Pledge Arena through One Roof Sports and Entertainment and has retained JPMorgan Chase and Moelis & Co. to advise a potential NBA bid.
Billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates also recently announced her investment in One Roof, leading to speculation that her financial backing could be part of the group seeking the NBA franchise.
A second effort, Black Sun Private Equity and Native World Sports, emerged publicly in August.
The group said it had submitted a proposal to pursue the return of the Supersonics and was working with a local tribe on a possible arena and entertainment district outside Seattle.
Details of the proposal, including the precise site and the NBA's view of it, have not been confirmed publicly.
Seattle officials have embraced the prospect since the March vote. Gov. Bob Ferguson called a Sonics return a state priority, while Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said the city, fans, and arena were ready for the franchise's return.
The Sonics played in Seattle from 1967 until 2008, winning the 1979 NBA title and producing an era of stars that included Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Ray Allen and a young Kevin Durant.
FLASHBACK | The Seattle SuperSonics last game in Seattle
Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, sold the team to Clay Bennett's ownership group for $350 million in 2006.
Two years later, the franchise moved to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder, where it blossomed in recent years and won an NBA Championship.
Seattle's loss remains one of the league's most sensitive relocation stories, and Silver has acknowledged that the NBA did not handle the situation in the best possible way.
The Supersonics name, colors, and legacy, which have been locked away in Seattle, would be a part of any future franchise.
If the NBA ultimately approves teams in both Seattle and Las Vegas, the league would also have to solve a competitive balance issue.
Both cities would fit in the Western Conference, forcing the NBA to consider moving an existing Western Conference team to the Eastern Conference. Minnesota, Memphis, and New Orleans have all been discussed as logical possibilities.
One variable is also the future of the Portland Trailblazers.
"It is my hope and belief that the Portland Trailblazers or the Trailblazers can be successful in Portland, Oregon," Silver said of the ongoing negotiations for a renovated arena in the city. "That it is important at the same time that [Trailblazers Owner] Tom Dundon reaches a deal with the city officials and the state elected officials that makes operating in Portland viable for the long term."
"We've had a great track record in Portland," Silver added. "And no doubt in my mind, it would be a failure if we weren't able to get to accomplish a result that makes, you know, Portland basketball, NBA and WNBA viable for the long term."
For now, the process apparently continues, with questions about whether a majority of owners are ready to move forward.
For Seattle fans, that leaves a familiar mix of optimism and caution.
But after nearly 18 years without the Sonics, the question is no longer whether the NBA is studying a return. It is whether this round of study finally ends with a team and a tipoff date.
