​In a year where Seattle has been the fulcrum of the sports world — NFL world champions, multiple collegiate and professional athletes representing western Washington at the Olympics, and unofficially becoming the U.S.’ greatest host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — the final grace note to an epic 12 months of Emerald City sports would be the declaration that the Seattle SuperSonics are returning to the NBA.NBA Commissioner Adam Silver kept the league’s expansion status vague during a press conference Tuesday, but confirmed the process is moving forward. According to Silver, the NBA is still on track to make a decision about expansion by the end of the year.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn return, the city has been reacting to and celebrating every drop of expansion news.“It’s an incredible time to be a sports fan in Seattle. We’re coming off of a Seahawks Super Bowl Championship and a Mariners playoff run,” Pete Voss, the media relations director for Seattle NBA Fans, wrote MyNorthwest. “There are a lot of sports fans here in Seattle who want to see an NBA return, and they want to be a part of it. The return of the Sonics has the potential to be the most unifying moment in Seattle history.”But expansion is not guaranteed, no matter how much excitement is concocted with every optimistic word from both NBA and Washington officials.NBA owners voted unanimously to allow the league to explore expansion. Furthermore, the owners landed on Las Vegas and Seattle as the only two possible locations if expansion is to occur.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania, this outcome was never in doubt, as expansion has been in consideration for years, and the two cities already have deep ties to the league: Seattle, once home to the one-time champion SuperSonics for 41 seasons, and Las Vegas, a metropolis that houses the NBA Summer League and previously hosted the NBA Cup.This year’s Summer League is expected to set records for both attendance and merchandise sales.In Silver’s press conference Tuesday night, coincidentally held in Las Vegas, he confirmed multiple private groups are competing to land an expansion franchise in Seattle, even though only one ownership group has gone public with its bid. Additionally, Seattle Times reporter Tim Booth disclosed that “four different groups” have come forward with pitches and strategies to own and operate the Las Vegas expansion team.But exploring expansion is far different than approving expansion. That process requires 23 of the 30 existing owners to vote in favor.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Portland Trail Blazers’ long-term future in the city is uncertain as the team’s governor, Tom Dundon, continues to negotiate with city officials over who will pay for stadium renovations. Dundon, who bought the team in March, wants Oregon taxpayers to pay $600 million for the renovations.“There’s something that’s happen