PORTLAND, OR – The NBA’s board of governors took a significant step March 25 in voting for the league to explore adding new teams for the first time since the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) were created in 2004.
The league will look to add teams in Seattle and Las Vegas, likely beginning in the 2028-29 season, reshaping the NBA.
How might expansion affect the Milwaukee Bucks?
Ownership gets a windfall of cash
Expansion fees do not have to be shared with the players, so the 30 existing teams will split the anticipated expansion fee per franchise of $7 billion to $10 billion. So, let’s say two teams come in at $7 billion each ($14 billion total), Bucks ownership would stand to get a $467 million payday (and split amongst the various stakeholders).
Not only that, the franchise’s overall value will likely be raised.
A $7 billion entry free would make the Seattle and Las Vegas teams the fourth-most valuable franchises in the league per CNBC’s valuation ranks released in February. The outlet valued the Bucks at $4.5 billion, 19th in the league. Forbes valued the Bucks at $4.3, or 21st in the league.
The Haslam Sports Group, led by Jimmy and Dee Haslam, bought 25% of the franchise for $800 million in 2023 and raised the franchise’s value to $3.2 billion. In 2024 Junior Bridgeman purchased a 10% minority share of the franchise, raising the franchise value again to $4 billion. Bridgeman did get a 15% discount, however, as a preferred limited partner. So, he paid in at a $3.4 billion franchise valuation.
Should any member of the ownership group choose to sell their share, it likely would exceed those totals.
The roster would be affected
In 2004, teams could protect up to eight players for the next season from being drafted onto the expansion Charlotte Bobcats. Milwaukee left Brian Skinner and Erick Strickland unprotected in that draft, but neither was drafted by the Bobcats.
Expansion rules require a team to leave at least one player unprotected even if fewer than eight were under contract.
Currently the Bucks have only AJ Green ($11.6 million) under team control for the 2028-29 season. Myles Turner has a player option for that year of $29.1 million. Based on past expansion draft rules, Turner would be eligible to be selected by an expansion team, in which case the Bucks would get a trade exception for his contract value.
An NBA team must begin a year with 14 guaranteed contracts, so as it currently stands the Bucks would make expansion draft protection decisions with at least 12 players who are extended, acquired or signed over the next few seasons.
The 2028 NBA draft order would be affected as well, with the league slotting in the new teams. In the past, expansion teams have not been allowed to make the first selection, so the Bucks’ draft position could be affected in some way should they be picking at any other place than No. 1.
Scheduling would be affected
Seattle and Las Vegas would be Western Conference teams, which means a team would move to the Eastern Conference. Minnesota, New Orleans and Memphis would be among the obvious choices, as all those cities are in the Central Time zone.
The Timberwolves would make for a new, yet natural rival to the northwest of Milwaukee. The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings have been rivals since 1961, and the Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers were American League division rivals from 1970-71 and again from 1994-97.
The Bucks were a Western Conference rival of the original iteration of the SuperSonics franchise from 1970-80 before Milwaukee was moved back to the Eastern Conference. Seattle, which had Milwaukee legend Fred Brown on the team, beat the Bucks in seven games in the first round of the 1980 playoffs in their only postseason matchup.
The Bucks have history playing in Las Vegas as well, winning the 2024 NBA Cup over Oklahoma City at T-Mobile Arena. The team also made the 2023 NBA Cup semifinals.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How NBA expansion may affect the Milwaukee Bucks
Reporting by Jim Owczarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
