NBA Expansion Draft: How Will Seattle and Las Vegas Build Their Rosters?

The NBA appears poised to expand, adding franchises in Las Vegas and Seattle for the 2028-29 season. The league’s board of governors is scheduled to vote next week on exploring this expansion, a move that has been anticipated for years. If approved, the process will open the door for bids potentially reaching $7 to $10 billion per team, fundamentally altering the league’s economic landscape. But beyond the financial implications, a key question arises: how will these modern teams actually build a competitive roster? The answer lies in the NBA’s expansion draft, a process designed to distribute talent and supply the new franchises a foundation for success.

A Return to Seattle, a Debut in Las Vegas

Seattle’s potential return to the NBA marks a significant moment for a city that lost its SuperSonics in 2008. The opening of the Climate Pledge Arena in 2021 has been a crucial step in demonstrating the city’s commitment to bringing basketball back. Seattle currently hosts the WNBA’s Storm, showcasing the city’s appetite for professional basketball. Las Vegas, meanwhile, has rapidly become a major sports hub, already home to teams in the NFL (Raiders), NHL (Golden Knights) and WNBA (Aces). The city’s success in attracting major sporting events, including the NBA Summer League, positions it as a natural fit for an NBA franchise.

Understanding the Expansion Draft Process

The foundation of building these new teams will be the expansion draft. This process allows Seattle and Las Vegas to select players from existing NBA franchises. However, it’s not a free-for-all. Each current NBA team will be required to make players available, but with a crucial protection mechanism in place. Teams can “protect” up to eight players under contract for the following season, shielding them from being selected by the expansion teams. Any player not protected becomes eligible for selection.

It’s important to note that even if a team has fewer than eight players under contract, they are still obligated to make at least one player available in the expansion draft. This ensures that both Seattle and Las Vegas have a fair opportunity to acquire talent.

How Many Players Can Each Team Select?

If the expansion proceeds as anticipated, Seattle and Las Vegas will have the opportunity to build their initial rosters through a carefully structured draft. Each new franchise will be able to select a maximum of one player from each of the existing 30 NBA teams. The total roster size for each expansion team will be between 14 and 19 players. This formula is designed to allow both franchises to build a competitive base before the free agency period and the annual NBA draft.

Salary Cap Considerations for Expansion Teams

New expansion franchises don’t enter the league on a level playing field with established teams when it comes to the salary cap. Historically, expansion teams have been granted a salary cap of approximately 66% of the standard NBA salary cap. This means they have less financial flexibility initially to pursue high-profile free agents. However, this cap percentage gradually increases, reaching around 80% of the standard cap in subsequent years. By the third year, the expansion teams are granted full access to the standard NBA salary cap, allowing them to compete more effectively in the free agent market.

Draft Picks and Future Flexibility

Beyond the expansion draft and salary cap considerations, new franchises also receive valuable draft capital. Expansion teams typically receive a high draft pick in the annual NBA draft. For example, the Toronto Raptors selected seventh overall in the 1995 draft, while the Vancouver Grizzlies selected sixth overall. These high draft picks provide an immediate opportunity to add promising young talent to the roster and accelerate the team’s rebuilding process.

What’s Next for NBA Expansion?

The upcoming vote by the board of governors is the first critical step in a multi-stage process. If the vote passes, the league will begin accepting bids from potential ownership groups in Las Vegas and Seattle. A subsequent vote later this year will be required to finalize the expansion to 32 teams, needing the support of 23 of the 30 governors to pass. The financial implications are substantial, with potential franchise valuations ranging from $7 to $10 billion. The league is clearly signaling its belief that adding these two markets will generate significant long-term revenue growth.

The potential expansion also reflects a broader trend in professional sports, with Las Vegas and Seattle emerging as attractive destinations for franchises across multiple leagues. The success of the Golden Knights (NHL) and the Kraken (NHL) in Las Vegas, along with the strong fan base in Seattle, demonstrates the viability of these markets.

As the NBA moves closer to a potential expansion, the focus will shift to the details of the expansion draft and the process of building competitive rosters in Las Vegas and Seattle. The coming months will be crucial in shaping the future of the league and bringing NBA basketball back to two passionate fan bases.