LAS VEGAS — At some point, this process will conclude. There will be a finality to all the incremental steps walked over the past few years and a decision one way or another will be made.

Eventually, just like at many of the poker tables in this town, one side must decide whether it’s ready to go all-in.

A drama of a call regarding potential NBA expansion is not expected to come this week when the league’s owners gather for their annual meeting during NBA Summer League here in the desert. The ongoing saga around Seattle and Las Vegas as expansion cities is likely to be ongoing for a little while longer.

This is not the meeting of the owners where major news is expected on expansion. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver indicated as much in the spring. And if Las Vegas and Seattle are truly tied together in this process, there’s a lot that needs to shake out and be settled over the next couple of months if the league wants a decision to be made before the start of next season in October.

The league has put the end of this calendar year as the only timeline for deciding one way or the other. But if the owners are ready to expand, then the end of October would be the most optimistic timeline at this point if the league is set on having these team or teams start for the 2028-29 season. A two-year lead up is the preferred runway.

An update on the timeline for these decisions could be one of the important pieces to come from Silver’s media availability scheduled for Tuesday evening. Another is expected to be where Seattle sits at this point with a situation that seems straightforward compared to the traffic jam of potential suitors in Las Vegas.

While Silver has repeatedly said he expected to see multiple bidders in each market, Seattle has remained a one-bid city with One Roof Sports and Entertainment the only publicly known group to date. At this point in the process, One Roof looks to be likely the only option. If another group was going to be involved, it should have emerged by now if the league sticks to its timeline of a decision before the end of the year.

Behind the scenes, One Roof gaining controlling interest of Climate Pledge Arena earlier this year through the private-public partnership with the city that led to its construction has become significant in solidifying its position. It essentially cornered the market through the acquisition, meaning any other potential bidders for Seattle would need funding for the expansion fee and most likely a new arena.

Leagues like it when team owners are also in control of the buildings in which they play.

There have been discussions between One Roof’s bankers and those hired by the NBA to evaluate and vet the financials of a potential ownership group. One Roof’s umbrella ownership group added Melinda French Gates as an investor this spring initially toward the Kraken, but is expected to have some investment directed toward the basketball franchise, should it happen.

From a name recognition standpoint, that feels significant. And while money always wins out, names with clout do help in the process.

On the surface, the option in Seattle seems set.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas appears to be the opposite where four different groups have come forward with plans to be involved in the expansion process, muddying the situation there and potentially tangling the expected timeline.

At some point, the NBA may have to choose that if — IF — it is moving ahead on expansion, that the best decision may be to stagger the teams and bring Seattle on board first while Las Vegas gets itself sorted out.

In the past month, two groups have emerged expressing their intent to be involved in the expansion attempts for Sin City. One would seem to be the front-runner in the entire competition with Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley saying he intends to form an ownership group and commit $400 million in upgrades to T-Mobile Arena.

Right there, the NBA seems to have the pieces it would want — proven owner and a building pretty much ready-made.

But just last week emerged another group with significant NBA ties as longtime league executive and former owner Jerry Colangelo announced formation of a group willing to pay up to $8 billion for the franchise and play temporarily at T-Mobile Arena as a tenant while constructing a new arena elsewhere in Las Vegas.

Colangelo’s name comes with significant clout and may end up being the most attractive ownership group considering his resume and ties. But it only adds to the congestion along Las Vegas Boulevard, joining the fray with Foley’s bid, the MAGI group including Magic Johnson and a group including former Disney CEO Bob Iger.

About a year ago, Iger was rumored to be eyeballing Seattle, but appears to have pivoted to Las Vegas.

That’s four groups, all with varying levels of legitimacy and financial means, jockeying for positioning and potentially creating the bidding war that isn’t taking place in Seattle. The trickle down from all that feels like it could be significant to the final prices for franchises and the potential timeline.

Those questions, more than some others, are likely to be the primary ones Silver will need to answer this week about expansion. And whatever those answers end up being should help set the pathway for the next few months and maybe — maybe — when an answer is finally coming about if the NBA is returning to Seattle.

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