If the NBA formally decides to expand in the US gaming hub, Resorts World Las Vegas, the $4.3 billion casino hotel at the north end of the Strip, may be pushing to build an NBA arena.

The Genting-owned property has long eye-balled using parts of its 42 undeveloped Strip acres to persuade an NBA expansion franchise to call a portion of that piece of land home, insiders told Casino.org, speaking on condition of anonymity.  According to one of the individuals, since Jim Murren took over as the property's chairman last December, those goals have probably been more intense.

Robin Hood 702 star R.J. Cipriani claimed that in 2018, he had dinner at Lago at the Bellagio with Murren, who was then the CEO of MGM Resorts International. He mentioned that the executive had a strong desire to help bring an NBA team to Las Vegas.   At a different event at The Mansion at the MGM Grand, Cipriani said, Murren informed him that MGM was thinking about purchasing the Memphis Grizzlies or "another financially troubled" NBA team.

 Murren left his position as MGM's senior executive two years later to lead Nevada's COVID-19 response task team.  He has obvious basketball connections because he is largely responsible for attracting the WNBA club from San Antonio, bringing the NBA's summer league to Sin City, and guiding MGM's purchase of the Las Vegas Aces. One of the most prosperous and successful teams in the WNBA is the Aces, which are currently owned by Raiders manager Mark Davis.

It's also possible to purchase a circus

According to one of the sources, there are a number of options related to Resorts World's NBA arena proposal, including the possible acquisition of the neighboring Circus Circus, which Phil Ruffin, the owner, has stated he wants to sell.

Since Murren was CEO of MGM when the operator sold Circus Circus to Ruffin in 2019 for $825 million, there is a connection between the two.  The announcement of that deal coincided with the company's announcement that it would sell the Bellagio for $4.25 billion to a real estate company owned by the private equity firm Blackstone Group.  Although Ruffin has stated that he purchased the casino hotel in order to use the 102 acres of land that were included, Resorts World is not required to use that land in order to construct an NBA team's home.

"The Resort has over 42 acres of undeveloped land, which offers significant growth potential which few of its peers can match,” according to a 2023 statement issued by the integrated resort.

The sources did not state that such negotiations were in progress, and there are no guarantees that Resorts World Las Vegas will be able to influence an NBA arena contract.  Some Strip operators frequently wait on underutilized land for long stretches of time, allowing the value to increase while they consider their options.

NBA expansion plans could be hampered by the Lakers' sale

One of the most persistent theories in the Las Vegas and NBA worlds is that one of the league's teams would ultimately move to Sin City. However, the Buss family's selling of the majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this week may play a significant role in the league's expansion plans.

Mark Walter, an investor who values the team at $10 billion, is purchasing almost 85% of the legendary franchise.  According to several NBA analysts, league owners will not be as eager to expand after the Boston Celtics and Lakers were sold.

The NBA would most likely add two teams in an expansion scenario, most likely in Las Vegas and Seattle, and the new ownership groups may pay the league $3 billion or more to have those clubs.  As new teams diminish franchise valuations over time, present owners would receive some great upfront income.  Current governors are aware that the NBA may put a stop to expansion plans due to the fact that scarcity and lack of availability are the main causes of skyrocketing franchise prices.