Are we going to lose players to expansion?

[Donoghus]

Raptors would've had Iverson if they wanted him (depends on how they saw Mighty Mouse big picture wise). 

Imagine how that could've changed NBA history.

[bdm860]

I just looked at that Steve Francis trade, who was picked #2:

August 27, 1999: As part of a 3-team trade, traded by the Vancouver Grizzlies with Tony Massenburg to the Houston Rockets; the Houston Rockets traded Antoine Carr, Michael Dickerson, Othella Harrington, Brent Price and a 2003 1st round draft pick (Marcus Banks was later selected) to the Vancouver Grizzlies; the Orlando Magic traded Don MacLean and a 2001 1st round draft pick (Jason Collins was later selected) to the Houston Rockets; the Orlando Magic traded a 2002 2nd round draft pick (Matt Barnes was later selected) to the Vancouver Grizzlies; and the Vancouver Grizzlies traded Lee Mayberry, Makhtar N'Diaye, Rodrick Rhodes and Michael Smith to the Orlando Magic. Trade originally included promised 1st-rd pick that became 2001 pick after it was acquired by Orlando from Phoenix

What am I missing here?  That seems an awful lot like trading the #2 pick for a bag of crap.

Steve Francis was openly pouting at being drafted #2. 

Here's a recap.

And here's the actual thing.

Can't find it online, but I remember another interview later in the night where he was literally in tears about it all, saying something like "maybe I'll be happy about it tomorrow, but I'm not happy about it right now."

But it's still a terrible return.

I have to chalk the rest up to Stu Jackson being a terrible GM.  No surprise he was fired shortly thereafter and has never been hired by a team again.  Also heard that original ownership group was terrible too, like Donald Sterling level of cheap.

Raptors would've had Iverson if they wanted him (depends on how they saw Mighty Mouse big picture wise). 

Imagine how that could've changed NBA history.

They might have had him anyway, there was a big push for Camby to be #1.  ML Carr said that's who he wanted if the C's landed #1.  Had to think a lot of GMs were going with Camby too.  Nobody ever drafted 6' guards #1.  You go from 6'3" John Lucas in '76 to 6'3" Derrick Rose in '08, and Iverson is the sole outlier in that stretch.

Or if Duncan came out.

[nickagneta]

I could see Seattle having interest Pritchard. He grew up just 150 miles away in Oregon and was a popular Pac-12 player in the northwest.

Of course, there's no guarantee Pritchard would still be on the Celtics years from now when an expansion draft would happen.

[Moranis]

You could actually put together a decent squad pulling players from teams.  I mean look at a team like the Warriors

Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Draymond, Wiseman

Looney, Kuminga, Moody, Poole, DiVincenzo

That is 10 solid players, so 2 would be open (obviously DiVincenzo and probably Looney). 

Clippers are probably only protecting 1 of Batum, Zubac, or Wall

Someone like Paul Reed or Harrell would be available from the Sixers.  Or Harenstein, Fournier, Rose from the Knicks.

Strangely, a team like the Thunder would have some decent players available as their 8 would probably be SGA, Dort, Chet, Giddey, Dieng, Williams, Poku, and Mann which leaves some solid vets like Favors, Muscala, or other younger guys like Maledon, Jerome, Robinson-Earl unprotected.  The Magic would also have some decent players unprotected.

Obviously you aren't getting any stars and the teams aren't going to be playoff teams, but I do think you'd be able to get some quality depth that you could actually keep some of long term, instead of just being a dumping ground. 

[sgrogan]

You could actually put together a decent squad pulling players from teams.  I mean look at a team like the Warriors

Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Draymond, Wiseman

Looney, Kuminga, Moody, Poole, DiVincenzo

That is 10 solid players, so 2 would be open (obviously DiVincenzo and probably Looney). 

Clippers are probably only protecting 1 of Batum, Zubac, or Wall

Someone like Paul Reed or Harrell would be available from the Sixers.  Or Harenstein, Fournier, Rose from the Knicks.

Strangely, a team like the Thunder would have some decent players available as their 8 would probably be SGA, Dort, Chet, Giddey, Dieng, Williams, Poku, and Mann which leaves some solid vets like Favors, Muscala, or other younger guys like Maledon, Jerome, Robinson-Earl unprotected.  The Magic would also have some decent players unprotected.

Obviously you aren't getting any stars and the teams aren't going to be playoff teams, but I do think you'd be able to get some quality depth that you could actually keep some of long term, instead of just being a dumping ground.

Teams would also expose their bad contracts.
Westbrook anyone? Anyone?

[celticsclay]

You could actually put together a decent squad pulling players from teams.  I mean look at a team like the Warriors

Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Draymond, Wiseman

Looney, Kuminga, Moody, Poole, DiVincenzo

That is 10 solid players, so 2 would be open (obviously DiVincenzo and probably Looney). 

Clippers are probably only protecting 1 of Batum, Zubac, or Wall

Someone like Paul Reed or Harrell would be available from the Sixers.  Or Harenstein, Fournier, Rose from the Knicks.

Strangely, a team like the Thunder would have some decent players available as their 8 would probably be SGA, Dort, Chet, Giddey, Dieng, Williams, Poku, and Mann which leaves some solid vets like Favors, Muscala, or other younger guys like Maledon, Jerome, Robinson-Earl unprotected.  The Magic would also have some decent players unprotected.

Obviously you aren't getting any stars and the teams aren't going to be playoff teams, but I do think you'd be able to get some quality depth that you could actually keep some of long term, instead of just being a dumping ground.

I think of the players you listed only golden state would really offer some exciting players. The clippers would almost certainly protect Zubac of the guys you listed given batum is about to be 35 and wall hasn’t really played in a few years. I also doubt players like rose or wall at the end of their careers would want to or be a good fit on an expansion team. I think no matter what they do these teams would top out at 15-20 wins in the first year and I’m not really excited to see two more crappy games in a league that already had the spurs in a play in last year.

[flybono]

The 2 Teams were Seattle and was it Las Vegas?

2025 wasn’t it

[aefgogreen]

I can't imagine us protecting Horford by the time expansion happens.

[slamtheking]

You could actually put together a decent squad pulling players from teams.  I mean look at a team like the Warriors

Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Draymond, Wiseman

Looney, Kuminga, Moody, Poole, DiVincenzo

That is 10 solid players, so 2 would be open (obviously DiVincenzo and probably Looney). 

Clippers are probably only protecting 1 of Batum, Zubac, or Wall

Someone like Paul Reed or Harrell would be available from the Sixers.  Or Harenstein, Fournier, Rose from the Knicks.

Strangely, a team like the Thunder would have some decent players available as their 8 would probably be SGA, Dort, Chet, Giddey, Dieng, Williams, Poku, and Mann which leaves some solid vets like Favors, Muscala, or other younger guys like Maledon, Jerome, Robinson-Earl unprotected.  The Magic would also have some decent players unprotected.

Obviously you aren't getting any stars and the teams aren't going to be playoff teams, but I do think you'd be able to get some quality depth that you could actually keep some of long term, instead of just being a dumping ground.

Teams would also expose their bad contracts.
Westbrook anyone? Anyone?

that was my thought exactly -- or whoever will be the Westbrook of that time.  a grossly-overpaid and underachieving player that might put some butts in the seats of a new franchise's arena

[nickagneta]

You could actually put together a decent squad pulling players from teams.  I mean look at a team like the Warriors

Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Draymond, Wiseman

Looney, Kuminga, Moody, Poole, DiVincenzo

That is 10 solid players, so 2 would be open (obviously DiVincenzo and probably Looney). 

Clippers are probably only protecting 1 of Batum, Zubac, or Wall

Someone like Paul Reed or Harrell would be available from the Sixers.  Or Harenstein, Fournier, Rose from the Knicks.

Strangely, a team like the Thunder would have some decent players available as their 8 would probably be SGA, Dort, Chet, Giddey, Dieng, Williams, Poku, and Mann which leaves some solid vets like Favors, Muscala, or other younger guys like Maledon, Jerome, Robinson-Earl unprotected.  The Magic would also have some decent players unprotected.

Obviously you aren't getting any stars and the teams aren't going to be playoff teams, but I do think you'd be able to get some quality depth that you could actually keep some of long term, instead of just being a dumping ground.

Teams would also expose their bad contracts.
Westbrook anyone? Anyone?

that was my thought exactly -- or whoever will be the Westbrook of that time.  a grossly-overpaid and underachieving player that might put some butts in the seats of a new franchise's arena

Answer: Damian Lillard. Portland could dangle Lillard out there for Seattle to grab.

[slamtheking]

You could actually put together a decent squad pulling players from teams.  I mean look at a team like the Warriors

Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Draymond, Wiseman

Looney, Kuminga, Moody, Poole, DiVincenzo

That is 10 solid players, so 2 would be open (obviously DiVincenzo and probably Looney). 

Clippers are probably only protecting 1 of Batum, Zubac, or Wall

Someone like Paul Reed or Harrell would be available from the Sixers.  Or Harenstein, Fournier, Rose from the Knicks.

Strangely, a team like the Thunder would have some decent players available as their 8 would probably be SGA, Dort, Chet, Giddey, Dieng, Williams, Poku, and Mann which leaves some solid vets like Favors, Muscala, or other younger guys like Maledon, Jerome, Robinson-Earl unprotected.  The Magic would also have some decent players unprotected.

Obviously you aren't getting any stars and the teams aren't going to be playoff teams, but I do think you'd be able to get some quality depth that you could actually keep some of long term, instead of just being a dumping ground.

Teams would also expose their bad contracts.
Westbrook anyone? Anyone?

that was my thought exactly -- or whoever will be the Westbrook of that time.  a grossly-overpaid and underachieving player that might put some butts in the seats of a new franchise's arena

Answer: Damian Lillard. Portland could dangle Lillard out there for Seattle to grab.

probably right on that one. 

[JSD]

I really hate expansion. In a perfect world they would just move the clippers to Las Vegas, and The Pels to Seattle

[liam]

I still remember losing role players in expansion.


https://www.yahoo.com/sports/players-might-boston-celtics-lose-165653610.html

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I really hate expansion. In a perfect world they would just move the clippers to Las Vegas, and The Pels to Seattle

I agree. Totally unnecessary at this point. I'd be okay with moving two current teams to Vegas and Seattle, then eliminating about 5 teams that are never good/never draw crowds. That would really improve competition.

[nickagneta]

I really hate expansion. In a perfect world they would just move the clippers to Las Vegas, and The Pels to Seattle

I agree. Totally unnecessary at this point. I'd be okay with moving two current teams to Vegas and Seattle, then eliminating about 5 teams that are never good/never draw crowds. That would really improve competition.

I don't believe that. All it would do is put more and more talent on the best teams. The divide between good teams and bad would still be there and easily seen. 
Bunches of teams will still tank for draft position.

It's not like the NBA didn't have a clear divide between the haves and have nots during Bird's time in the NBA. Instead of having 2-3 great players on the best teams, the best teams would now have 3-4 great players, like in the 80's.

It might make the playoffs more entertaining and fun, but the regular season would still be filled with a ton of the best teams playing the worst teams making watching just as difficult.

Now, I'm not a fan of expansion. I like the 30 team league as is. But I get two expansion teams mean more money for the league and owners. More for the players. And more jobs for the players. So I get why the NBA wants expansion, but I don't want to see it happen.