The NBA is officially exploring expansion opportunities after approval by the league’s Board of Governors. After years of rumors, Seattle and Las Vegas are being considered as landing spots. Although it’s exciting to finally get concrete information on league expansion, it could be disastrous for a team like the San Antonio Spurs.
The Potential NBA Expansion Could Be A Disaster For The Spurs
The Expansion Draft Problem
Historically, when a new team enters the NBA, the league holds an expansion draft. All the other teams get to protect eight players and can only lose one at most. Although changes to these rules are possible, it’s unlikely they would be severe. The NBA would want their new teams to compete sooner rather than later. The best-case scenario is that the Spurs can choose eight players to protect. It doesn’t sound all that bad until you realize they are built on depth.
Obviously, San Antonio would protect its starting five. Rookies Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant are also valuable. That leaves only one more player to keep. Who could the Spurs really afford to give away?
Luke Kornet is Victor Wembanyama’s backup and arguably the most important player off the bench. By filling in for Wembanyama, he plays an important role in keeping the defense consistent. Keldon Johnson is a veteran presence in the locker room and a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Lastly, Harrison Barnes is an older but fantastic power forward, arguably the position the Spurs need the most.
Already, without the hypothetical season starting yet, the Spurs would lose out on major talent. But not only would they lose that talent, they’d have a hard time replacing it, too.
Shrinking the NBA Talent Pool
There is seemingly no clear reason why the NBA gives expansion teams certain draft picks. Those teams have never been given the number one pick and are usually given picks between five and ten. This is reassuring for teams with awful records looking to win the lottery, but not so much for the Spurs. Not only will they move back with their own picks, but the Spurs have amassed a collection of pick-swaps that will look a lot less appealing after expansion.
Plus, with two more teams in the league, San Antonio’s team building process will struggle to succeed. The Spurs typically get their greatest players from the draft, which will now have the same amount of great talent but with more teams. Free agency is just as important. The Spurs use it to round out their team and rarely overpay for role players. If the two new teams want to leap-frog to the playoffs in free agency, expect them to pay everyone who is anyone.
New teams will need a majority of league owners to vote in favor of their inclusion. Although we cannot understand their thinking as to why expansion may be favorable, we can definitely see some of its negative consequences.
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