The days of major league sports ignoring Las Vegas as a potential landing spot are now over. With the Raiders, Aces and Golden Knights already calling Vegas home, and the A’s expected to join them, the city has become a hot sports market. Here’s a look at where each major team stands and what it means moving forward.
NBA Summer League Brings Future Stars to Vegas
Las Vegas has hosted the NBA Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center since 2004, turning the city into a staple on the league’s offseason calendar. Over the years it’s evolved into a major event, drawing fans, scouts and media from across the country.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has even referred to Las Vegas as the league's “31st franchise.” While there's still no permanent NBA team in Vegas, the infrastructure, energy, and fan turnout makes it feel like a done deal. With expansion talks heating up, the city continues to strengthen its case every summer, and the city looks more ready than ever to become an NBA franchise’s home.
LVSportsBiz.com founder Alan Snel, who has been covering the NBA Summer League this past week, said the process is in motion, but still uncertain.
“There was an official statement from the commissioner saying that they have taken the first step to start an in depth analysis,” Snel said. “There are two really big unknowns. Number one is the timeline. We don't know when it will happen, and the other is the expansion fee.”
Aces at Risk of Missing the Playoffs
The Las Vegas Aces are no longer the defending champions after falling short in 2024, but their back-to-back WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023 cemented them as a powerhouse in the league. This season, though, has been anything but smooth.
Now struggling to find their rhythm, the Aces are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. Injuries, roster changes, and a tighter field of competition have all played a part. In a city that has quickly come to expect winning, the Aces are now under pressure to regroup and make another postseason push, or risk falling behind in a rapidly growing sports scene.
Raiders Turn to Pete Carroll for a Reset
Las Vegas hasn’t seen a winning Raiders team since 2021, and the franchise has been stuck in reverse. Enter Super Bowl-winning head coach Pete Carroll. The question now: Can his championship success bring stability to a team that’s struggled to find its identity on and off the field since the move from Oakland?
Case Keefer, Assistant Sports Editor of the Las Vegas Sun, raised questions about the hire, but acknowledged Carroll’s value as a culture-builder.
“He's going to be the oldest coach in NFL history, though, I think come week two or week three,” Keefer said. “So that's another question, certainly, though, when you're just wanting to get a level of professionalism and wanting to get kind of a culture in place, he does seem like a good choice in that perspective.”
Golden Knights Shake Things Up
Vegas’ first major league franchise is navigating a pivotal offseason. The Golden Knights made a blockbuster move by acquiring star winger Mitch Marner, but also suffered a major blow after losing alternate captain Alex Pietrangelo for the entire 2025-26 season, potentially ending his time as Knight. Meanwhile, all-star center Jack Eichel is in line for a record-breaking contract with his current deal set to expire after this season.
Keefer weighed in on what Eichel’s new deal might look like and why it’s so important to keep the core together.
“There's no way he takes a cent less than what Marner made,” he said. “So you're gonna see something in that same eight year $12 million range, probably a little bit more for Eichel. I would think it certainly gets done. But if you're talking about Golden Knights fans being nervous, if there's any reason to be nervous, I do think a lot of the future hinges on being able to pair these two guys together.”
Aviators Slump After Hot Start
The Aviators opened the season as one of the top teams in Triple-A, but have hit a rough patch to start the second half of the season. Even so, their lineup has had high level prospects over the last few years, including rising star Nick Kurtz and MLB All-Star Game standout Jacob Wilson. Much of the franchise’s success is tied to the A’s development pipeline, which brings us to the team expected to become Vegas’ newest big-league addition.
Is Vegas Ready for the Athletics?
The Athletics are set to become the city’s fourth major league team within the next three years. But they’ve also been one of the worst teams in baseball in recent seasons. In a market that expects immediate success, as shown by the Golden Knights historic debut, the A’s can’t afford to start flat.
The organization has its sights set on 2028 as the year to seriously contend. They’ve stocked the Aviators with talent and they’ve locked in young players with long-term deals, a high-risk, high-reward strategy. There are reasons for optimism, but the early years will be critical. Even A’s owner, John Fisher, during the stadium groundbreaking, repeatedly referenced the Golden Knights instant success as a model.
The A’s clearly understand the stakes, fans are quick to rally around a winner but just as quick to turn away from a loser.
Keefer believes that early competitiveness will be key to establishing a stable fan base in Las Vegas.
“I think that was as big of a factor in everything and building this fan base, even though the A's, you know, are obviously nomadic,” he said. “I think they're gonna be the most moved major professional franchise in America now with the fourth move, I do think all that will go away a little bit if they're competitive right away. And I think deep down, they know that, and they are making moves to try to ensure that can be the case.”
Guests: Alan Snel, founder, LVSportsBiz.com; Case Keefer, assistant sports editor, Las Vegas Sun
