NEW YORK — The NBA is now officially looking at expansion, with Seattle and Las Vegas the two targeted cities.

A vote Wednesday by the league’s board of governors — part of a two-day series of meetings in New York — cleared the way for formal talks between potential ownership groups in those two cities and NBA officials to take place, a process that likely will start before too long.

Commissioner Adam Silver wants the league to know by the end of 2026 if expansion will happen.

The league said investment bank PJT Partners has been brought on “as a strategic adviser to evaluate prospective markets, ownership groups, arena infrastructure, and the broader economic implications of expansion.”

Elswhere:

n Tanking is going to be addressed and the 65-game rule might remain. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver insisted Wednesday that the league will change its draft process and address its tanking problem before the start of next season. And he pointed to the league’s player participation policy as proof of how the league can make effective fixes. The league’s board of governors discussed tanking — the issue of teams trying not to win in order to enhance their odds of landing the best possible draft pick — at its two-day meeting that ended Wednesday. Silver says votes were taken and no fingers were pointed at any specific teams.