The NBA expansion draft would follow a structure where existing teams protect eight players, new franchises select one unprotected player per team with contracts intact, and expansion teams receive favorable odds in the rookie draft lottery.
The NBA is once again generating excitement with talk of expansion, but one key question follows: how would an expansion draft affect the rookie selection if the league grows beyond its current 30 teams?
Looking back at previous expansions offers some guidance. The league last added new teams in 1995, when the Toronto Raptors joined, and in 2004, when the Memphis Grizzlies relocated from Vancouver.
Based on those precedents, the expansion draft process can likely be summarized through six main rules:
Expansion teams will get to “steal” unprotected players from teams Teams can protect 8 of their players Teams can’t protect players on expiring contracts or restricted free agents Only one player taken per team Contracts transfer as they are Expansion teams get good NBA Draft chances at the No. 1 pick
The league is targeting the 2028-29 season for expansion, with the expansion draft expected in the summer of 2028.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the league’s Board of Governors will vote on March 24-25 to determine whether the process can officially move forward.
If approved, the NBA would begin formal steps toward adding franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas.
There could also be a shift in conference alignment. If expansion goes through, either the Memphis Grizzlies or the Minnesota Timberwolves may move from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference to balance the league.
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