{"id":459784,"date":"2026-02-10T08:11:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T08:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/459784\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T08:11:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T08:11:07","slug":"celtics-would-be-forced-to-make-painful-decision-in-rumored-nba-expansion-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/459784\/","title":{"rendered":"Celtics would be forced to make painful decision in rumored NBA expansion draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the past few years, it has felt like the buzz around NBA expansion has been building, but for whatever reason, it has taken a back seat lately. But that changed on Monday, as Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News reported that he is hearing the NBA Board of Governors is likely to vote on possible expansion this summer.<\/a><\/p>\n

Townsend added that the vote will most likely be to expand by two new teams, and that the favorites are Seattle and Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

This would just be the start. There would be endless logistics to figure out, and even if this vote passes, we may still be years away from actually seeing this plan come to fruition. But still, the idea that it\u2019s on the radar means it could be coming at any time.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s imagine that the vote were to pass, and the expansion would happen as soon as next season (obviously, that\u2019s not a likely scenario). The league would hold an expansion draft, and the two teams would take turns choosing players off existing rosters.<\/p>\n

In the last expansion draft, every NBA team was allowed to protect eight players, with everyone else on their roster eligible to be poached away by one of the new teams. The Celtics currently boast one of the deepest rosters in the league, but that could be a double-edged sword with an expansion draft, as it means they\u2019re liable to lose a good player.<\/p>\n

Luckily, in the past, teams were only susceptible to losing a single player in hte expansion draft, but it could still lead to some seriously painful decisions for the Cs. The team is brimming with young players on good deals, and there are no obvious players to offer up due to salary or poor play.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, without further ado, let\u2019s go through this hypothetical exercise and see who the Celtics would choose to protect in a 2026 NBA expansion draft, and which players could find themselves on the chopping block.<\/p>\n

The locks: There\u2019s no way these players are going anywhere<\/p>\n

Jayson Tatum<\/p>\n

Age: 27<\/p>\n

Remaining Contract (after the 2025-26 Season): 4-years, $259.8 million<\/p>\n

Face of the franchise. Brought us a title. He should be a Celtic for life.<\/p>\n

Jaylen Brown<\/p>\n

Age: 28<\/p>\n

Contract: 3-years, $183 million<\/p>\n

There would surely be some talk about using this as an opportunity to get out of JB\u2019s contract. That\u2019s ridiculous. Finals MVP and having an MVP-caliber season. Should also be a Celtic for life.<\/p>\n

Derrick White<\/p>\n

Age: 31<\/p>\n

Contract: 3-years, $97.8 million<\/p>\n

This is still a bargain contract for one of the core, foundational players on a championship contender.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Payton Pritchard<\/p>\n

Age: 28<\/p>\n

Contract: 2-years, $16.1 million<\/p>\n

This is one of the best contracts in the league for the reigning 6th Man of the Year.<\/p>\n

Neemias Queta<\/p>\n

Age: 26<\/p>\n

Contract: 1-year, $2.7 million (team option)<\/p>\n

In Queta, the Celtics have found a legitimate starting center of the future on a minimum contract. They\u2019ll need to extend him soon, but that will be a no-brainer.<\/p>\n

Sam Hauser<\/p>\n

Age: 28<\/p>\n

Contract: 3-years, $34.9 million<\/p>\n

Another outstanding contract for one of the premier shooters in the entire NBA. Even if the Celtics were thinking about moving Sam, he would have great trade value in this deal.<\/p>\n

On the bubble: I\u2019d hate to see them go, but we can\u2019t protect everyone<\/p>\n

Hugo Gonzalez<\/p>\n

Age: 19<\/p>\n

Contract: Rookie-scale contract (Year 2)<\/p>\n

Hugo has shown so much potential on a rookie deal, and he\u2019s already making an impact at the NBA level. Given his age, ability, potential, and team control, he should be the safest member of this group.<\/p>\n

Baylor Scheierman<\/p>\n

Age: 25<\/p>\n

Contract: Rookie-scale contract (Year 3)<\/p>\n

Baylor would have been a long shot to make the protected list before this season, but he has made amazing strides on both ends of the court. He seems to be earning Joe Mazzulla\u2019s trust and offers great positional versatility.<\/p>\n

Jordan Walsh<\/p>\n

Age: 21<\/p>\n

Contract: Rookie-scale (Year 4)<\/p>\n

Most of what I wrote about Scheierman is true of Walsh as well, and ultimately, the lost spot would almost certainly come down to these two players. He\u2019s bigger and more athletic than Baylor, but not as smooth and skilled, especially with the ball. Still, he\u2019s a valuable asset and still has tantalizing upside at his age.<\/p>\n

Outside looking in<\/p>\n

Luka Garza<\/p>\n

Age: 27<\/p>\n

Contract: 1-year, $2.8 million<\/p>\n

This is more a testament to the Celtics\u2019 young depth than a knock on Garza. Luka has proven he can give you solid NBA minutes at center on a minimum deal. He could be an attractive pick in this draft for an expansion team.<\/p>\n

Amari Williams<\/p>\n

Age: 24<\/p>\n

Contract: 1-year, minimum (team option, non-guaranteed)<\/p>\n

Amari has shown a lot of promise for a 2nd-round rookie, but he\u2019s already 24, and he\u2019s not a staple in the rotation. He faces an uphill climb to crack this top 8, but he\u2019s another guy who could have great appeal to an expansion team.<\/p>\n

The final top-8 protected list<\/p>\n

So that leaves a very tough decision for the Celtics. Tatum, Brown, White, Pritchard, Queta, and Hauser are stone-cold locks due to ability, contract, or both. I\u2019d give Hugo the nod as well, thanks to his age and upside as he\u2019s just starting his rookie deal. So it really comes down to Scheierman or Walsh for the last spot.<\/p>\n

Baylor has been playing better lately. He can do a lot more with the ball and has proven to be a more confident offensive player overall. Walsh has the edge on the defensive end as he\u2019s a freakish athlete with good strength and size.<\/p>\n

Baylor has the extra year of team control on his deal, but Walsh is still four years younger. This would be a painfully difficult decision, but at the end of the day, as of now, I\u2019d protect Scheierman and pray both expansion teams pass on Walsh.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not an easy call to make at all, but Baylor has really popped lately on both ends, while Walsh has seen his minutes limited. Going forward, the Cs should have the wing spots pretty filled, and Walsh\u2019s skillset seems more redundant with two healthy Jays.<\/p>\n

Scheierman\u2019s offense could be more useful to teams trying to build, and the extra year of team control just seals the deal. Hopefully, teams would covet flashier players, and Walsh would slip through the cracks and return to Boston anyway, but in this excruciating hypothetical exercise, he\u2019s the odd man out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the past few years, it has felt like the buzz around NBA expansion has been building, but…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":459785,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[385,99],"class_list":["post-459784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=459784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/459785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=459784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=459784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=459784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}