The NBA has had expansion rumors for years now, though there hasn’t been much public movement on that front. However, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Brad Townsend, the NBA Board of Governors could vote this summer to expand the league by two teams. The two likely new cities are Seattle and Las Vegas.
The new locations are also no surprise. Las Vegas has picked up new sports teams in the last decade, whether it’s the NFL’s Raiders, the NHL’s Golden Knights, the WNBA’s Aces and the MLB’s Athletics in the future. Seattle has also been a longtime potential city after the SuperSonics departed back in 2008.
Expansion also means an expansion draft, which hasn’t happened in the NBA since 2004 for the then-Charlotte Bobcats. Typically, teams are allowed to protect eight players under contract. Each team is also only allowed to take one player per team. But if there are two new franchises, most existing teams will have someone snatched up.
Looking at the current Celtics roster, that could be an interesting discussion in terms of protecting eight players. Unrestricted free agents aren’t allowed to be protected, so new big man Nikola Vucevic can’t be included in this list. Here’s a look at protecting those eight players:
The locks
Not much to say here. Face of the franchise. Perennial All-Star and All-NBA talent when healthy. His health will certainly be a factor going forward after the Achilles injury. But he turns 28 next season and the future still seems bright.
Jaylen Brown
Also not much to say here. Enjoying a breakout season as an All-Star starter. Another easy decision to keep Brown. One of the best players in the league. Even if there are critics who want to get off his contract for the future, it doesn’t make sense to lose him for nothing.
Derrick White
White is going through a shooting slump this season, but his value comes from his other parts of his game. White is signed through the 2027-28 season (with one more player option year), so he’s also locked down long-term.
Payton Pritchard
One of the Celtics’ best development stories this decade. The former late first-round pick is the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. Plus, he’s on a team-friendly deal through the 2027-28 season.
Neemias Queta
Another development success story for the Celtics. Queta is enjoying a breakout season as the Celtics’ starting center. Still just 26, so about to enter his prime and is signed through next season.
Sam Hauser
Hauser has been in trade rumors over the past season, but that’s partly because his value is so good. Another great development story from undrafted free agent to contributor. Hauser’s one of the best shooters in the league and signed through the 2028-29 season.
Let’s talk about it
Hugo Gonzalez
It’s hard to see the Celtics allow their talented first-round pick be unprotected in an expansion draft. Gonzalez just turned 20 and it’s clear he’s going to have a long NBA career. He’s still raw and needs to improve his offensive game. But his defense and feel for the game are already off the charts.
Jordan Walsh
Now here’s where things get interesting for an extension draft. Walsh has enjoyed his own breakout season, proving he can be an NBA-level contributor. The consistency still isn’t there on a nightly basis, but the talent is starting to match the productivity. He’s younger than the next player on this list, which might give him the slight edge.
Baylor Scheierman
Scheierman struggled as a rookie, but he’s put together some nice minutes for the Celtics this season. He plays hard and has brought an edge for the C’s. Scheierman is a bit older as he turns 26 later this year. Realistically, it could be between Walsh or Scheierman when it comes to protections in an expansion draft.
The rest of the roster
After looking at those nine players, that leaves a few C’s players on the outside looking in. Those are the guys like Amari Williams and Luka Garza who could be picked up in an expansion draft. The two-way guys in Ron Harper Jr., Max Shulga and John Tonje are also unlikely to be protected.