The Boston Celtics, along with other championship hopefuls, might be facing a unique challenge on the horizon.
The NBA is eyeing expansion, with Las Vegas and Seattle emerging as frontrunners for new franchises. This potential growth means an expansion draft could be on the way, designed to populate these new teams with players.
In such drafts, teams can protect a select number of players, but not their entire roster. This leaves some intriguing talents up for grabs.
For teams with less depth, this might not be a huge issue. But for a team like the Celtics, it presents a real conundrum. They’re likely to see a valuable player available for selection.
In a recent mock expansion draft, it was projected that the Celtics could lose Jordan Walsh to the Seattle franchise.
This wouldn’t be a fault of Boston or Walsh. It’s simply how the system works.
"The Celtics should still be within their championship window," the analysis notes regarding a potential expansion draft in the coming years. "Walsh has emerged as a breakout player, known for his energy, offensive rebounding, defense, and shooting.
He's a solid young wing. Unfortunately, for a championship-caliber team like Boston, losing a good player to the expansion draft is almost inevitable."
Similarly, the Oklahoma City Thunder might see Lu Dort selected in the draft. Deep rotations often take a hit in these scenarios.
There is a silver lining, though. Historically, expansion drafts only allow a team to lose one player. So, if Walsh is picked, the Celtics won’t lose anyone else.