{"id":181930,"date":"2026-03-17T06:19:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T10:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=181930"},"modified":"2026-03-17T06:19:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T10:19:19","slug":"lwos-mock-2028-nba-expansion-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/03\/17\/lwos-mock-2028-nba-expansion-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"LWOS Mock 2028 NBA Expansion Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s palpable excitement with the NBA readying for a 32-team future<\/a>, a still-to-be-voted-on expansion likely to make Las Vegas and Seattle<\/a> the hosts of the league’s newest franchises beginning in 2028-29. Though the exact process has yet to be set in stone, if the NBA does move ahead with their expansion plans, it’s all but certain that there will be an NBA Expansion Draft. The last time this happened was in 2004, with the Charlotte Bobcats (who are now the Charlotte Hornets). However, a closer parallel can be found with the NBA’s 1995 expansion, which saw them add the Canada-based Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies (who have since relocated to Memphis).<\/p>\n

In that draft, the Raptors and Grizzlies held a coin toss to determine who would get the first pick in the expansion draft. Then, they alternated selections until they both had picked one player from each of the preexisting NBA teams. In both the 1995 NBA Expansion Draft and 2004 NBA Expansion Draft, the start-up franchises were only called to select one player from each established NBA franchise. Additionally, they were unable to select any of the eight players that the antecedent team protected. Notably, those organizations were not allowed to protect players who would become unrestricted free agents.<\/p>\n

LWOS 2028 NBA Expansion Draft<\/h2>\n

History is often repeated, which is one reason it’s so informative. Though there could be changes, it’s quite possible that the next expansion draft closely follows the rules from the previous expansion drafts. With that in mind, here’s how the 2028 NBA Expansion Draft could play out:<\/p>\n

1. Bam Adebayo<\/a>, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

2. Kevin Durant<\/a>, Seattle<\/p>\n

3. Ja Morant<\/a>, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

4. Domantas Sabonis<\/a>, Seattle<\/p>\n

5. Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a>, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

6. RJ Barrett<\/a>, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

7. Kel’el Ware<\/a>*, Seattle<\/p>\n

8. Zach Edey<\/a>*, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

9. Tyler Herro<\/a>, Seattle<\/p>\n

10. Deni Avdija<\/a>, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

11. Dejounte Murray<\/a>, Seattle<\/p>\n

12. Jalen Green<\/a>, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

13. Michael Porter Jr.<\/a>, Seattle<\/p>\n

14. Jordan Poole<\/a>, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

15. Jonathan Kuminga<\/a>, Seattle<\/p>\n

16. Andrew Nembhard<\/a>, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

17. Anfernee Simons<\/a>, Seattle<\/p>\n

18. OG Anunoby<\/a>, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

19. Quentin Grimes<\/a>, Seattle<\/p>\n

20. Andrew Wiggins<\/a>, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

21. De’Andre Hunter<\/a>, Seattle<\/p>\n

22. Moses Moody<\/a>, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

23. Collin Sexton<\/a>, Seattle<\/p>\n

24. Jaylen Wells<\/a>, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

25. Rui Hachimura<\/a>, Seattle<\/p>\n

26. Keldon Johnson<\/a>, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

27. Jaylon Tyson<\/a>, Seattle<\/p>\n

28. Ajay Mitchell<\/a>, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

29. Scotty Pippen Jr.<\/a>, Seattle<\/p>\n

30. Jordan Miller<\/a>, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

*- denotes restricted free agent (RFA) status<\/em><\/p>\n

Post-Expansion Draft Roster Outlooks For Las Vegas, Seattle<\/h3>\n

Las Vegas Venom post-expansion draft roster<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ja Morant, Andrew Nembhard, Jordan Poole<\/em><\/p>\n

Jalen Green, Andrew Wiggins, Jaylen Wells, Ajay Mitchell<\/em><\/p>\n

OG Anunoby, RJ Barrett, Moses Moody, Jordan Miller<\/em><\/p>\n

Karl-Anthony Towns, Deni Avdija, Keldon Johnson<\/em><\/p>\n

Bam Adebayo, Zach Edey<\/em><\/p>\n

Looking at this guard-heavy roster, there are undoubtedly roster jams that will need to be cleared up. However, this shouldn’t be too problematic for the team we’ll call the Las Vegas Venom. For starters, several of those guards are able to play multiple positions. Similarly, nominal wings like Barrett and Moody have significant experience at the 4-spot. With that being said, as the league continues to emphasize pace, space and positional versatility, the Venom have the option of switching between a traditional lineup or a small-ball roster built for speed and offensive dominance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Seattle SuperSonics post-expansion draft roster<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dejounte Murray, Collin Sexton, Scotty Pippen Jr.<\/em><\/p>\n

Tyler Herro, Quentin Grimes, Anfernee Simons, Ajay Mitchell<\/em><\/p>\n

Kevin Durant, De’Andre Hunter, Jordan Miller<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael Porter Jr., Jonathan Kuminga, Rui Hachimura<\/em><\/p>\n

Domantas Sabonis, Kel’el Ware<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a9 Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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In terms of their positional balance, this roster is just about as solid as the remodeled SuperSonics could hope for. Perhaps just as importantly, there are a number of players with Seattle roots<\/a> that will boost the team’s local support. Both Dejounte Murray<\/a> and Michael Porter Jr.<\/a> are Seattle natives, the former having been born in the city. Kevin Durant<\/a> was the Sonics’ last top pick, selected second overall in 2007. Rui Hachimura<\/a>‘s Japanese heritage may be significant given that Asians are the second-largest demographic in Seattle<\/a>. The amount of firepower the roster possesses is just icing on the cake.<\/p>\n