Why NBA Expansion Might Not Be the Best Look for the League Right Now

It feels like NBA expansion is inevitable.

According to reports, the NBA is strongly entertaining adding two new expansion markets as the league voted to explore adding teams in Seattle and Las Vegas.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that multiple high-ranking officials have termed expansion as "when, not if."

Is expansion really the right move for the NBA?

It feels like the current state of the NBA is in an odd spot.

On one hand, there’s no denying that basketball is a bigger deal globally. For that, commissioner Adam Silver deserves credit. More people around the world are familiar with the game of basketball and its star players – which is ultimately the lifeblood of the sport.

On the other hand, the current state of affairs within the Association itself just doesn’t feel great. For example, the NBA’s television ratings are down. Even though you can find basketball on just about any television network or streaming service these days, fans aren’t tuning in at the same rate year over year.

The viewership problem is multi-faceted, but definitely influences the cap space not exploding as some had expected. The NBA’s salary cap is increasing $10 million, which is lower than expectations for next season.

Even though the NBA is on more channels and subscription services than ever before, the average fan could have a difficult time keeping up with where to find games. Younger fans are engaging with the league on social media, and highlights make it easy for Gen-Z fans to just skip watching the game – especially when they could find out what happened by watching a handful of YouTube Shorts or TikToks.

While all of this is unfolding very publicly, the product on the court is diminishing. Love it, hate it, or sick of hearing about it, the NBA has a tanking problem. Silver has threatened teams with punishment for tanking. He’s also suggested just discarding the NBA Draft in its entirety if teams continue to tank.

With over two weeks remaining in the NBA regular season, six teams already have 50 losses or more. An additional five teams have already lost 40 games. That’s 11 teams in a 30 team league that find themselves actively trying to lose games in exchange for a chance at better draft positioning.

There’s no denying that the city of Seattle deserves an NBA franchise. To a lesser extent, expanding into Las Vegas at least helps the NBA join forces with the MLB and NFL, who will be launched in Sin City by the time that basketball expands.

But couldn’t we just move one of these left for dead franchises to Seattle? A team like the Sacramento Kings or New Orleans Pelicans that find themselves cheering for NBA Draft Lottery odds instead of the NBA Playoffs each and every year?

The NBA is as talented as it’s ever been. There’s plenty of NBA-caliber players in the G League. The sport is healthy enough to handle two new pro teams.

But is the league?