​SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 10: A Seattle Sonics fan holds a sign before the Rain City Showcase in a preseason NBA game between the LA Clippers and the Utah Jazz at Climate Pledge Arena on October 10, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)Getty ImagesNBA expansion still isn’t guaranteed after the latest Board of Governors meeting this week.However, based on reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania, the process is still very much alive and could even be nearing a conclusion. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has previously said that the goal is to have the expansion issue resolved by the end of the year as the league has been seriously exploring the Seattle and Las Vegas markets as candidates since March. Charania’s reporting on Tuesday stated that the next round of bids for the Vegas team, in particular, were due on Thursday, with final bids due shortly thereafter. Expectations were that the bids were in the $10 billion range for Vegas – a number that is likely bolstered by the recent $12.5 billion sale of the Los Angeles Lakers (to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner).Also notable, however, is that the Seattle bid is expected (via Charania) to be in the $7 billion range. And as previously covered, the Seattle process reportedly lacks the level of competitive bids that Vegas has, and is not as far along as its potential expansion counterpart. On the other hand, Seattle already has a venue ready in the Seattle Kraken and Seattle Storm’s home, Climate Pledge Arena. That city does not have the same flexibility that Las Vegas does to build a new NBA-specific arena. So any bidders would be doing so with the goal of inhabiting that venue (possibly making it a less appealing prospect).That stipulation makes sense. Yet what doesn’t, at least when compared to previous expansion bids across North America sports, is the potentially differing expansion fees that these franchises will command.SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 21: Photograph of the stage at Gas Works Park for the NHL Expansion Draft on July 21, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Kraken is the National Hockey League’s newest franchise and will begin play in October 2021. (Photo by Christopher Mast/NHLI via Getty Images)NHLI via Getty ImagesExpansion Fee HistoryIn most other instances, expansion franchises entering a Big Four league at the same time have paid the same fee. For as much as franchise values can significantly differ within a given league, the value of joining would seemingly be the same – at least initially.Even in the case of a slightly staggered expansion process, like the NHL most recently had with the Vegas Golden Knights (initiated payments in 2016) and the Seattle Kraken (initiated payments in 2018), the difference was $150 million. And Seattle wouldn’t actually join until 2021.Here, the NBA is potentially adding those same two cities at the same time (the 2028-29 season). And the expansion fee gap could be at least 42%, if the $7 billion and $10 bil