NBA expansion has been rumored for years now, but late Sunday night the Dallas Morning News’ Brad Townsend reported that the NBA Board of Governors is likely to vote on expanding by two teams this summer, and that Las Vegas and Seattle are favored to be the destinations of the potential expansion franchises.

With that news coming across, FTN’s Marshall Gershon and I jumped into action, conducting a mock expansion draft to give FTN readers an idea of how this process could look if the league moves forward with expansion.

Before we get to the picks, it’s important to note how NBA expansion drafts work and how some of the rules surrounding this process can limit the available player pool.

First is the protection process. Each of the 30 existing teams will protect up to eight players on their current roster. Players who are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents are not eligible to be chosen in the expansion draft, so they do not require protection.

Players who are going to be restricted free agents or have a team/player option the following year can be protected by their current teams. If a restricted free agent is drafted in the expansion process, they automatically become an unrestricted free agent, and the expansion team would have their corresponding unrestricted free agent rights (Bird, Early Bird or Non-Bird) and a corresponding cap hold.

Each of the 30 existing NBA teams can only have one player selected during the expansion process — once a player is selected then the rest of the roster becomes protected.

For our mock expansion draft purposes here at FTN, we drafted the Seattle Supersonics (Zac) and the Las Vegas “Venom” (Marshall). Each team made 15 selections and in accordance with NBA expansion draft rules, the draft was not “snake” style. Seattle was awarded the first pick in our mock draft.

After accounting for the upcoming unrestricted free agents, we protected eight players on each existing roster ourselves before jumping into the mock draft. Here are how the teams shook out, with some commentary from the “GMs” as the draft progressed.

2026 FTN NBA Mock Expansion Draft
Seattle Supersonics (Zac)
1. Jordan Poole, New Orleans Pelicans

I’m taking Poole with the first pick. He’s the most established backcourt scorer in the field and can eat up usage as we build out the roster over the expansion season.

2. Julian Champagnie, San Antonio Spurs

Awesome 3-and-D asset on a team-friendly contract of just $3 million per year.

3. Jarace Walker, Indiana Pacers

Walker was the eighth overall pick in 2023 and was left unprotected by Indy as a result of their above-average depth. He’ll get all the opportunity in the world with expansion Seattle.

4. Klay Thompson, Dallas Mavericks

Adding some big-time name value to the expansion roster. He may be dusty, but Klay can still put some butts in seats and is also shooting 37%-plus on high-volume from three with Dallas this season.

5. Tre Jones, Chicago Bulls

Not a ton of true point guards available in the player pool, so Seattle will pick up Jones in the fifth to run the show early on.

6. Malik Monk, Sacramento Kings

Las Vegas screwing up Seattle’s plans here by going Da Silva in the fifth and taking Goga Bitadze off the board. So the Sonics will continue to load up on backcourt pieces and save Malik Monk from Sacramento in the sixth round.

7. Day’Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn Nets

Defense will be optional in Seattle for the expansion year, but Sharpe will get the biggest opportunity of his young career after being stuck behind Nic Claxton in Brooklyn the last few seasons.

8. Zeke Nnaji, Denver Nuggets

Nnaji has never caught on with Denver, but with no Nikola Jokić in front of him he’ll have a big chance to impress during the expansion season in Seattle, who need bodies down low.

9. Vince Williams Jr., Memphis Grizzlies

Always good to have young flexible players in the mix, and Williams is just that. Still just 25 years old and can play/guard multiple positions on both ends.

10. Craig Porter Jr., Cleveland Cavaliers

Gotta get a backup PG at some point and CPJ fits the bill after being left unprotected by Cleveland.

11. Jericho Sims, Milwaukee Bucks

Expansion teams will almost always struggle, but the group of frontcourt players available in this draft are slim. Sims provides a higher defensive floor down low than Sharpe or Nnaji and should compete for a role.

12. Bogdan Bogdanović, Los Angeles Clippers

Bogdan might not be long for the league, as he’s quietly going to turn 34 years old before next season starts. But he’s an experienced player globally and is a good veteran to have around

13. Sion James, Charlotte Hornets

Seattle will swing for youth down the stretch of the draft. James was a fringe first round pick last summer and has had impressive defensive stretches in his rookie year for the Hornets.

14. Baylor Scheierman, Boston Celtics

Boston’s 2024 first-round pick gets a new home and a chance to extend his career that wasn’t leading toward a new deal with the Celtics.

15. Rasheer Fleming, Phoenix Suns

Fleming was the first pick of the second round last summer and immediately gets re-routed to Seattle after his rookie season in Phoenix.

Las Vegas Venom (Marshall)
1. Aaron Wiggins, Oklahoma City Thunder

Aaron Wiggins has never averaged more than 24 minutes per game in his career, but the former second-round pick has shown an ability to score in bunches when given the opportunity. He’s only 27 and could have room to grow in a larger role. Vegas takes advantage of a deep OKC roster by poaching one of their key contributors in the first round and takes them off the board for Seattle.

2. Taylor Hendricks, Memphis Grizzlies

Hendricks has been injured most of his career to date, but the former top-10 pick has shown upside in limited time on the court with Utah. His stint in Memphis after the trade deadline ends abruptly in the expansion draft.

3. Justin Champagnie, Washington Wizards

Champagnie is only 24 and has shown potential as a 3-and-D guy. Must get more consistent with the shot (like his brother) to be a long-term option in Vegas.

4. Jamal Shead, Toronto Raptors

While his upside is limited due to his height, Shead will bring a defensive edge to the expansion team, and could develop into one of the leaders in the locker room.

5. Tristan da Silva, Orlando Magic

He’s not the most athletic player in the world, but he’s shown a decent feel for the game in his 1.5 years in the league as a part-time starter for the Magic with their oft-injured starting group.

6. Clint Capela, Houston Rockets

The team needs a big, and at just 31 years of age, the hope is that Capela finds a new gear late into his career.

7. Marcus Sasser, Detroit Pistons

Sasser has never gotten consistent opportunities, but he’s shown an ability to put up points in limited minutes. Could develop into a nice piece off the bench in Vegas.

8. Mohamed Diawara, New York Knicks

An afterthought in the 2025 NBA Draft, Diawara has shown legitimate two-way upside for the Knicks as he’s forced his way into the rotation this season. He’s only 20 years old and has a 7-foot-4 wingspan, so the hope is he develops into a real player in the coming seasons.

9. Mouhamed Gueye, Atlanta Hawks

Another raw project who has a 7-3 wingspan and has shown potential in spurts for the Hawks.

10. Pelle Larsson, Miami Heat

Larsson has earned the trust of Erik Spolestra in Miami, starting 40 of his 100 career NBA appearances in South Beach. He gets plucked away by Vegas to compete for an even larger role.

11. Vít Krejčí, Portland Trail Blazers

Time will tell if Krejčí can become a rotation piece on a contending roster, but he’s shot above 40% in three straight seasons, making this a value this late in the draft.

12. Al Horford, Golden State Warriors

A great guy to have in the locker room. Would like to try to keep him on as an assistant coach if he decides to retire from his playing career.

13. Trendon Watford, Philadelphia 76ers

Watford has never been able to stick around in a rotation. But he’s 6-foot-8 with some guard skills and does have a 10 points per game season on his resume. Still just 25 years old, he’s worth a swing late in the expansion process.

14. Bronny James, Los Angeles Lakers

We need to sell tickets and what better way to do so in Vegas than to add the son of the King.

15. Julian Phillips, Minnesota Timberwolves

Mr. Irrelevant in the FTN mock expansion draft, who was just traded to Minnesota in the Ayo Dosunmu deal.

Complete Draft Board

Pick
Seattle Supersonics (Zac Graham)
Las Vegas Venom (Marshall Gershon

1
Jordan Poole
Aaron Wiggins

2
Julian Champagnie
Taylor Hendricks

3
Jarace Walker
Justin Champagnie

4
Klay Thompson
Jamal Shead

5
Tre Jones
Tristan Da Silva

6
Malik Monk
Clint Capela

7
Day’Ron Sharpe
Marcus Sasser

8
Zeke Nnaji
Mohamed Diawara

9
Vince Williams Jr.
Mouhamed Gueye

10
Craig Porter Jr.
Pelle Larsson

11
Jericho Sims
Vit Krejci

12
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Al Horford

13
Sion James
Trendon Watford

14
Baylor Scheierman
Bronny James

15
Rasheer Fleming
Julian Phillips