What would a 2022 expansion draft look like? Part 1

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In-Season is the new Postseason: NBA laying down framework for new in-season tournament

Hoops Immortality: The 2022 Basketball Hall of Fame class is enshrined

An Expansion Experiment: Breaking down a hypothetical two-team 2022 expansion draft.

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NBA Considering an In-Season Tournament

What happened: The rumors about an NBA in-season tournament have been floating around for quite a while now, and, according to Shams Charania (as always), the league is laying down the framework for one that could begin as early as the 2023-24 season. 

Rather than add on games to the already lengthy NBA schedule, the tournament games would be played as part of the regular season. Cup games would be played throughout November, with the eight best teams moving on to a single elimination tournament in December. The final two teams would play one extra game outside of the regular season schedule to decide a winner. 

Why it matters: The idea of an NBA in-season tournament has been a divisive subject since its introduction. Many of these criticisms have revolved around adding more games to a schedule that already forces many stars to “load manage”. This proposed format shows the league is listening to those criticisms, but that doesnt mean the tournament is clear of any trouble just yet. 

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been a vocal critic of the idea in the past, even saying he would rest the Mavs best players during the tournament. 

Another question that still needs to be solved is the reward. Many have speculated that prize money for players will probably be the main incentive. But Cuban also brought up an interesting concept for a reward system, expanding the NBA draft from two to four rounds and giving the tournament-winner the top pick in both rounds three and four. 

Manu Ginobili, Tim Hardaway among those Enshrined in Basketball Hall of Fame

Manu Ginobili is considered by many to be the greatest bench player in NBA history. The longtime Spurs guard proved to be one of the best second-round picks of all time after being selected 57th overall by San Antonio in the 1999 NBA draft. A supremely talented scorer and dogged defender, Ginobili was the perfect player to lead the charge off the bench for the Greg Popovich Spurs. He also shined on the international stage, leading Argentina to an historic gold medal victory in the 2004 Summer Olympics. Humble as ever, Ginobili attested a lot of his success to his teammates, and made sure to pour the praise on fellow Hall-of-Famer and Spurs teammate Tim Duncan.

Tim Hardaway became the final member of the dynamic Run-TMC trio to make the Hall of Fame, and more than deservingly so. One of the best point guards of the 1990s, Hardaway starred for both the Golden State Warriors alongside Chris Mullin and Richmond, and the hardnose late 90s Miami Heat, the latter of whom retired his number. He was known for his outstanding playmaking abilities and his dazzling skills as a one-on-one scorer, especially for someone who was just six feet tall. Hardaway showed plenty of love for the Southside of Chicago where he grew up and shared a touching moment with his son, fellow NBA player Tim Hardaway Jr. 

They are joined in the class of 2022 by former WNBA star Swin Cash, former Supersonics, Bucks and Nuggets Head Coach George Karl and West Virginia Men’s Basketball Head Coach Bob Huggins. 

The Scenario: The NBA is adding two new franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas! Each existing team will get to protect eight of their players, with the rest being available in the first expansion draft since 2004. The one rule is that only one player from each team can be selected, good luck.

Philadelphia 76ers

Keepers: Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, De’Anthony Melton, P.J. Tucker, Matisse Thybulle, Georges Niang

Notable Unprotected Players: Shake Milton, Paul Reed (Taken by Seattle), Furkan Korkmaz, Montrezl Harrell 

The Sixers would have some tough decisions to make if an expansion draft were to happen today. They have an incredibly deep squad and no matter what would have to leave multiple valuable role players/young prospects unprotected. In this case, Georges Niang makes the last spot because of his value as a floor-spacer, leaving Milton, Reed, Korkmaz, Harrell and others free to be taken by expansion teams. We have the Sixers getting a bit lucky here by only losing Paul Reed. Expansion teams usually try to stock up on young players, and BBall Paul is a perfect breakout candidate if given enough minutes in the right situation.

Milwaukee Bucks

Keepers: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton , Jrue Holiday, Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez, Pat Connaughton, Grayson Allen, MarJon Beauchamp

Notable Unprotected Players: George Hill, Wesley Matthews, Serge Ibaka, Jevon Carter (Taken by Vegas)

Milwaukee has a fairly obvious core to protect and a number of aging veterans who are valuable roster pieces but probably wouldn’t be valued very highly by a new expansion team. So rather than protect one of those vets, they take the smart long-term option and protect this year's first round pick MarJon Beauchamp instead. Jevon Carter is the most likely of their remaining players to be scooped up by an expansion team since he’s a positive defender and facilitator who is easily on the right side of 30. 

Cleveland Cavaliers

Keepers: Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, Isaac Okoro, Caris LeVert, Kevin Love, Dean Wade

Notable Unprotected Players: Ricky Rubio, Cedi Osman (Taken by Seattle), Lamar Stevens

The Cavs are set up long-term with one of the best young cores in the NBA, and have a fairly straightforward top seven players to protect. For the eighth and final spot, we went with Dean Wade because he fits in well with Cleveland's timeline age-wise and provides solid floor-stretching and defense from the power forward position. 

That leaves three significant role players available from the Cavs rotation last year. Rubio may be a target for expansion teams, but, since he’s 31 and coming off an injury, the safer bet would be Turkish sharpshooter Cedi Osman. 

Chicago Bulls

Keepers: Zach Lavine, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, Patrick Williams, Ayo Dosunmu , Dalen Terry

Notable Unprotected Players: Coby White (Taken by Vegas), Goran Dragic, Derrick Jones Jr, Javonte Green

The Bulls are in an interesting position with a strong core capable of consistently making the playoffs, but not quite good enough to make a deep run. In an expansion draft, they probably try to split the difference. In this scenario, they keep plenty of win-now players while still securing their future by protecting guys like Patrick Williams, Ayo Dosunmu and Dalen Terry. Coby White is the odd man out in this situation. He was a top ten pick, but the Bulls don’t really need another scoring guard who is a liability on the defensive end, especially with other young, more defensive-minded guards waiting in the wings. 

Boston Celtics

Keepers: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown , Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, Grant Williams, Marcus Smart , Derrick White, Al Horford

Notable Unprotected Players: Payton Pritchard (Taken by Seattle), Danilo Gallinari

The Boston Celtics are in absolute win-now mode, so it makes sense that in an expansion draft they’d prioritize keeping their strong veteran core together. Unfortunately, that means they’d most likely have to cut ties with third year guard Payton Prtichard, who has shown flashes as a feisty score-first option off the bench. Pritchard is a native son of the Pacific Northwest and it would be great to see him rocking Seattle Supersonics colors for their first season back. 

Los Angeles Clippers

Keepers: Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Ivica Zubac, Amir Coffey, Terrance Mann, Luke Kennard, Robert Covington, Norman Powell

Notable Unprotected Players: Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris Sr. (Taken by Seattle), John Wall, B.J. Boston 

The Clippers incredible depth is going to cost them in this expansion draft, as they’re set to lose one of their top scorers from a year ago. Marcus Morris may be on the wrong side of 30, but he still has plenty left in the tank and has proven himself as a more than capable volume scorer (take note of his 20 ppg season in New York). He was worth two first round picks as little as two years ago, and would be great trade bait at the deadline for contenders looking to upgrade at forward.

Memphis Grizzlies

Keepers: Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr, Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, Brandon Clarke, Tyus Jones, Zaire Williams, Jake LaRavia

Notable Unprotected Players: Steven Adams, Danny Green, John Konchar, David Roddy, Xavier Tillman (Taken by Vegas)

Speaking of teams with too much depth for their own good, the Grizzlies won’t be getting out of any expansion draft unscathed. Memphis will most likely lean towards their long-term aspirations by keeping many of their young pieces, leaving their older role and less-used role players out to dry. Expansion teams will have a few intriguing options, but 24 year old Xavier Tillman seems like the best fit. Tillman had a sophomore slump on offense, but the former Michigan State Spartan is an impactful defender who can force steals in bunches. 

Atlanta Hawks

Keepers: Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, John Collins, Clint Capela, Onyeka Okongwu, Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin

Notable Unprotected Players: Aaron Holiday, Justin Holiday, Jalen Johnson (Taken by Seattle)

The Hawks are one of the “lucky” teams who aren’t projected to run a very deep lineup and don’t have a ton of valuable assets outside of their top eight. The only exception to this could be Jalen Johnson, who played limited minutes as a rookie but was one of the top recruits in the country coming into high school. With expansion teams looking to take big swings on potential stars, it only makes sense for one of them to snap up Johnson. 

Miami Heat

Keepers: Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Nikola Jovic

Notable Unprotected Players: Victor Oladipo (Taken by Seattle), Duncan Robinson, Omer Yurtseven

The Miami Heat have an established core, but will have to make some tough decisions when it comes to which role players to hold onto. At the end of the day, we thought it made more sense for the Heat to prioritize keeping younger role players on cheaper contracts around, which left both Oladipo and Robinson on the outside looking in. Any new expansion team needs a good tank commander, and Oladipo would be a good selection for Seattle due to his relatively inexpensive contract and all-star pedigree. 

Charlotte Hornets

Keepers: Lonzo Ball, P.J. Washington, Terry Rozier, Cody Martin, Kelly Oubre Jr, Mark Williams, Jalen McDaniels, James Bouknight 

Notable Unprotected Players: Mason Plumlee, Gordon Hayward (Taken by Vegas), Bryce McGowens

The Hornets make the big “surprise” move of the expansion draft by leaving Gordon Hayward unprotected. Charlotte probably aren’t going anywhere this season, and would happily protect more of their young talent over keeping his bloated contract for another year. Hayward will immediately come in and be the focal point of the Vegas expansion team. 

NBA 2K23 lowdown with Ronnie 2K: On J. Cole’s cover, Jordan vs. Kobe and more - Jovan Buha (The Athletic)

Manu Ginobili Colored Outside the Lines - Chris Herring (Sports Illustrated)

Ranking the Top 10 Coaches of the Modern NBA - Zach Buckley (Bleacher Report)

That's all for todays newsletter. Come back Wednesday and Friday to see how an expansion draft might go for your team!

Until next time,

-Spencer Poole

Trivia Answer: The answer to Fridays trivia question is Moses Malone! The 3x MVP is the NBA's all-time leader in offensive rebounds, and has over 2,200 more career ORBs than second place Robert Parish. 

Trivia Question: Outside of the United States, which country has produced the most NBA players?