It is a hot topic now that it is very possible that Vegas and Seattle will be the 2 new teams to be added in 2029 or 2030.

The other thing that fans need to remember is it will shake a lot of things in NBA.

All other 30 teams will be forced to only protect 8 players from their 15 player roster. The other 7 players will be on an expansion draft.

So, each 30 teams will put 7 players in an expansion draft. (30 x 7 = 210 players available for Seattle and Vegas to choose from alternately)

In theory, an NBA team can just sign their 7 best players. And put their worst 8 players in the expansion draft.

HOWEVER,

Some NBA teams are smart enough to play this game. They sometimes put their 4th or 5th best player in the expansion draft. If he is overpaid, or has a worst contract. They might also want to keep their rookies/sophomores over better but aging veterans.

These will help other NBA teams to kinda salary dump overpaid players!!!

As for the two expansion teams, I think they will also have some compensation for the real NBA draft. They might be given an auto Top 5 pick if ever.

shittydotamorph | Australia

153 | 6 hours ago

Pelinka has been skillfully dodging the threat of expansion draft by never building the lakers a bench

TiredMillennialDad | Magic

61 | 5 hours ago

Who’s gunna tell him?

Next year is 26-27 Year after is 27-28

Expansion draft would occur shortly after 27-28 season ended if they were going to start play in the new cities in 28-9

It’s two years…not four

sourdoughrrmc

24 | 5 hours ago

What did your team look like 2.5 years ago? Absolutely no point in analyzing this now. Half the players in the league won’t even be in it anymore.

Grlions91 | Pistons

17 | 5 hours ago

Don’t ask me to relive that horror

TiredMillennialDad | Magic

9 | 5 hours ago

Plenty of teams with players that have 3+ years left on their contracts.

But point taken

sourdoughrrmc

4 | 5 hours ago

And those players aren’t the ones that get put up in expansion drafts. The last time the NBA had one, Gerald Wallace and ZaZa Pachulia were the biggest players taken.

TiredMillennialDad | Magic

7 | 5 hours ago

Jason Kapono slander

aja_ramirez

49 | 6 hours ago

It’s four years from now so no use in playing this game today

IncaseAce | Thunder

47 | 6 hours ago

I thought about being worried about this but god knows what’s gonna happen between now and then roster wise

Supreme_God_Bunny | Hornets

12 | 6 hours ago

To be fair it’s not like OKC could pay everyone once the extensions come in, You definitely might have to choose between Cason or Ajay because one of them will want that bag

sewsgup

8 | 4 hours ago

it actually makes it easier for OKC

pay everyone. protect 1 of Cason or Ajay during the expansion draft. expansion team takes one. that salary comes off your books. now you dont trigger 2nd apron repeater penalties

ThatFunkyOdor | Pistons

2 | 3 hours ago

An if the expansion teams don’t take one of them?

sewsgup

25 | 3 hours ago

if the team doesnt take a 24 year old Cason Wallace, or a 25 year old Ajay Mitchell — for no assets involved beyond paying their salary? (which they need to fill to meet the salary floor by the start of their 1st season anyways)

fire their newly hired GM

stickeymantle | Thunder

7 | 3 hours ago

For real. Any expansion team would love to have either player.

HealthyCheesecake643 | Celtics

5 | an hour ago

A guy like Ajay Mitchell could have a Brunson/Harden like jump for an expansion team with no established offense.

CazOnReddit | Raptors

2 | 5 hours ago

I mean they could in theory, they just…won’t

Aprons and all that

fumar | Bulls

0 | 4 hours ago

Second apron is incredibly crippling. Plus owners probably don’t want to pay $400m in tax

dracostark12 | Celtics

-1 | 3 hours ago

Dude their owner didn’t even wanna pay James Harden 3 more mill, after this year, the Thunder are done.

Plane-Gur2798 | Thunder

3 | 3 hours ago

Bro thinks it’s 2012.

I love that you guys keep repeating things from 14 years ago like we haven’t paid the tax multiple times since when we weren’t even a true contender.

dracostark12 | Celtics

1 | an hour ago

400mill and 30 mill are completely different things

Plane-Gur2798 | Thunder

1 | an hour ago

It won’t be 400. It’s 200 right now before we even make any moves lol dropping Dort, Wiggins and possibly Kenrich and signing iHart to a cheaper, longer term deal kills a large part of that. Caso’s extension is coming but they likely move off Caruso by the time it would kick in.

Do you think Presti hasn’t already considered all these things? We didn’t sign our entire starting 5 to huge deals like you guys to need to tear the team apart as quickly. I get you want to see it fail but we’re better positioned than a lot of potential dynasties have ever been and with the expansion draft and a new CBA coming we likely avoid most of the pain you’re hoping they feel.

ThinReply2047

1 | 3 hours ago

Do they have to choose though? SGA, JDub, Chet, and IHart obviously. Then the other 4 are clearly Cason, Ajay, JMac, and one of the young guys or Joe if you value him that much. Caruso will prolly be out of the league in 4 years due to health issues. You don’t keep Dort over Cason. Everyone else is expendable. Maybe keep JWill if you value his leadership/personality?

Coz_mic_ | Thunder

2 | 5 hours ago

Also, Sam Presti

Mobile-Entertainer60 | Thunder

1 | 24 minutes ago

There are also team options to pseudo-protect players the Thunder want to keep (decline team option, player is a free agent through the expansion draft so not choosable, Thunder re-sign player in free agency using Bird rights). JWill and Isaiah Joe are the obvious candidates for this; Ajay Mitchell also has a team option that year, but $2.8M is already a ridiculous bargain so the Thunder may want to push off his deserved pay raise by a year. So realistically, the options are going to be a 34 year old Alex Caruso or someone on the deep bench.

iro3 | Spurs

17 | 6 hours ago

Meh we think about thst in 4 years

CommodoreIrish | Spurs

7 | 5 hours ago

Supermax Wemby

Technical_Pace_4205 | Knicks

9 | 4 hours ago

I feel like the Spurs should zag here.. trade Wemby to the Knicks next year so that you don’t have to deal with the psychological trauma of whether or not to protect him in an expansion draft. Please.

JesusSinfulHands | Warriors

16 | 5 hours ago

The fun part in 4 years is when guys like Embiid, Ja Morant, or Bradley Beal (if the Suns hadn’t stretched him) are made available and their fans & GMs try to convince Seattle and Vegas to take them.

Or1g1nalrepr0duct10n | Wizards

2 | 2 hours ago

The Sixers could announce today that Embiid will not be protected and no one would be surprised.

Hailzhi

1 | 3 hours ago

Doubt Beal will be in the league by then. But yes

OccasionalGoodTakes | Supersonics

10 | 4 hours ago

Make it protect 6 and let the actual chaos happen

SiphenPrax | Knicks

7 | 6 hours ago

WNBA having expansion drafts almost every year for the next several years: “First time?”

No_Diver_629

5 | 6 hours ago

Almost zero players today is under contract when this draft comes, so pointless.

The rules you are following, are rules from 20 years ago, those can be changed before the draft, it might be more players being protected, or new rules, we just do not know.

rocket_beer | Celtics

5 | 5 hours ago

Peak off-season ragebait material right here.

It’s almost the playoffs, my G

whitedawg | DET

5 | 3 hours ago

Yes, NBA teams will absolutely take salary into consideration and try to use the expansion draft as a salary dump for overpaid players.

When the NBA expanded to Charlotte in 2004, the Phoenix Suns actually paid the Bobcats a first-round pick in exchange for the Bobcats selecting Jahidi White from the Suns. White was due to earn $6.1MM in 2004-05 in an era where the salary cap was $49.5MM (the equivalent of $19.1MM today). White had just averaged 4.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg in 2003-04. Charlotte taking White enabled the Suns to sign Steve Nash to a 5-year, $65MM contract. I bet the Suns ended up thinking that was worth a first-round pick.

Excellent_Bridge_888

3 | 3 hours ago

I do wonder if, say, an OKC goes down a path where they are really over budget and needing to clear some Salary cap, they put Jalen Williams or Chet on the chopping block for an expansion team to grab and clear one of those salaries.

dat_waffle_boi | 76ers

1 | an hour ago

I feel like they’d rather move them in a trade, unless their value really tanks over the next couple years. Losing either of them for nothing feels disastrous for OKC

juicejug | Celtics

1 | an hour ago

I’ve been thinking that OKC may “sell high” (lol) on JDub this offseason since they’ve clearly not needed him this year. I know it’s seen as sacrilege to trade a home grown star, but OKC’s bench is super deep and despite all their injuries they don’t have enough minutes for the talent they already have. Getting off his contract insulates them from 2nd apron consequences and would add even more future picks to their stockpile.

Excellent_Bridge_888

1 | an hour ago

OKC is the only team going “Yea we want draft picks but like…2033 ones please”

P5Manchero

1 | 3 hours ago

The expansion draft rules aren’t even defined. Every time it’s happened in nba history the rules and parameters have been different. You don’t know what the expansion draft will look like because no one does.

rickeyethebeerguy

1 | 3 hours ago

It’s done in the offseason so teams don’t have 15 guys under contract , some have only 8

Mammoth-Physics6254 | Mavericks

1 | 2 hours ago

With OKC, San Antonio and Huston hogging picks these teams might have semi-competent rosters out the jump

j1h15233 | HOU

1 | an hour ago

Yep, this is how it works

Truffles413 | Heat

1 | an hour ago

Oh no…

LittleTension8765 | Lakers

1 | 17 minutes ago

Doesn’t this make teams with a ton of draft picks like OKC in a tough spot? They like to draft a few guys to swing and potentially miss at every year on top of their already 8 rotation guys. Champaign problems but still problems

burohm1919 | Supersonics

-3 | 3 hours ago

I hope thinders gets a deep bench with those drafts so we can steal all of their players

If expansion draft happens in 2029⁄2030 (Seattle/Vegas), Other 30 teams will be forced to protect 8 players, and put 7 players on Expansion Draft

If expansion draft happens in ²⁰²⁹⁄₂₀₃₀ (Seattle/Vegas), Other 30 teams will be forced to protect 8 players, and put 7 players on Expansion Draft