NEW YORK — Dallas Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont led a discussion among NBA owners about potential arena sites for a Las Vegas expansion team during the league’s Board of Governors meetings this week, commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday.
Silver met with reporters in New York after the board convened Monday and Tuesday. The board voted March 25 to formally explore expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle, and Silver has set the end of 2026 as the target for a decision.
Adam Silver On Patrick Dumont And Las Vegas Arena Sites
Las Vegas and Seattle each gave reports on potential expansion during this week’s sessions.
“Several active groups, I’ll leave it at that, and I’ll say that there was a discussion led by Patrick Dumont, of course, who’s a Las Vegas resident and enormous operating experience there in Las Vegas, just sort of as an independent objective party, led a discussion around the various sites, potential sites in Las Vegas,” Silver said. “I think that there is real excitement around either a renovated T-Mobile Arena. 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 a modern entertainment palace in Las Vegas,” Silver continued. “And it’s a unique market where you could truly see essentially 365-day-a-year activity. There was some discussion about how much the Sphere has impacted Las Vegas. What a technological marvel that is, what it’s meant as a showcase, even as what it’s meant economically for Las Vegas, and some discussions around a similar vein.”
“But I think right now we’re at the point where there will be next-round bids coming in shortly,” Silver added. “Not final bids, but next-round bids coming in. And my personal view is it’s premature to start locking in the site. I think there are several different locations that would be very viable for NBA basketball in Las Vegas.”
Dumont became chairman and chief executive officer of Las Vegas Sands on March 1, succeeding Robert G. Goldstein. He had been the company’s president and chief operating officer since January 2021. He joined Sands in 2010.
In February 2022, Sands completed the roughly $6.25 billion sale of The Venetian Resort Las Vegas to affiliates of Apollo Global Management and VICI Properties. The company’s integrated resorts are in Macao and Singapore.
The NBA Board of Governors approved the sale of a controlling interest in the Mavericks to Miriam Adelson and Sivan and Patrick Dumont on Dec. 27, 2023. Dumont serves as the team’s governor and represents Dallas on the board. The Adelson and Dumont families also own the Las Vegas Review-Journal, whose reporter Mick Akers asked Silver about the Las Vegas bid groups and arena sites.
Dumont told The Dallas Morning News in February 2025 that the Mavericks are not moving to Las Vegas, and he called that answer unequivocal.
Las Vegas Bid Groups And Arena Plans Ahead Of Next-Round Bids
At least four groups were still involved in Las Vegas heading into this week’s meetings, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. One is led by Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley. Another, the Las Vegas Jacks group, is headed by former Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo. A third features Nancy Laurie Walton and her husband, Bill Laurie.
Foley has said his group would spend between $330 million and $400 million renovating T-Mobile Arena if it lands the team. The work would add about 1,000 seats, and Foley also plans an NBA practice facility in Summerlin.
Nearly a dozen arena projects have been pitched in Las Vegas, according to the Review-Journal. The proposed Las Vegas Diamond Arena, across Las Vegas Boulevard from Mandalay Bay, calls for a building with more than 21,000 seats.
The league hired investment bank PJT Partners to evaluate markets, ownership groups, and arena plans. Expansion fees are expected to fall between $7 billion and $10 billion per team, and a Las Vegas franchise is expected to bring a higher price than one in Seattle, the Review-Journal reported.
League operational groups have already visited Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
“There was not as much discussion around Seattle as there was around Las Vegas, largely because, per the prior question, Las Vegas, it’s not even clear what the site will be, let alone the arena yet,” Silver explained. “And therefore, it’s a much longer timeline before we can throw the ball up for NBA basketball.”
“On the other hand, in Seattle, we have had operational groups out to Climate Pledge,” Silver continued. “You clearly have a state-of-the-art arena there. It may require some modifications for NBA basketball, but if we were opening in five weeks, we could be ready in Seattle. But just because we can only take on so much at once, more of the discussion was around Las Vegas. I’ve been saying it’s our goal to have decisions by the end of the year, and that continues to be our goal.”
The Mavericks open training camp Sept. 22, a week before most of the league, because of their preseason trip to Macao. Dallas plays the Houston Rockets at The Venetian Arena in Macao on Oct. 9 at 7 a.m. CT and again Oct. 11. The regular season opens Oct. 21 at Houston at 7:30 p.m. CT.
