The San Antonio Spurs have the brightest future of any team in the Western Conference, and the West could get two new bottom-feeders in the coming years. That would make things even easier.
The NBA has long teased expanding to 32 teams, with Las Vegas and Seattle primed as the two new cities. Both teams would be in the Western Conference, likely with the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves moving to the East.
Expansion teams are almost never good, so the West would get weaker. That’s a solid update in and of itself, although the timeline for the NBA’s expansion works out perfectly for the Spurs.
San Antonio Spurs Should Love NBA Expansion
Owners, for the most part, are against expansion. It would mean two more teams they would have to share TV revenue with. For fans in Washington and Nevada, though, adding teams would be fantastic.
“The NBA and Adam Silver are in deeper and deeper stages of the expansion conversation, and I’m told specifically for Las Vegas, the next round of bids for an expansion team in Las Vegas is due on Thursday,” reported ESPN’s Shams Charania. “The league has been targeting as soon as the 2028-29 season for the start of these expansion teams.”
The last time the NBA expanded was in 2004, adding the Charlotte Bobcats. Every team got to protect eight players in the expansion draft, and the Bobcats were given the second overall pick. There is a belief that even with two teams added, existing franchises will only be at risk of losing one player apiece.
Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle will all be protected in the expansion draft, of course. Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, and Carter Bryant are also prime contenders.
Still, why should the Spurs be excited to lose a player for nothing?
Well, it could be how they get rid of De’Aaron Fox. A lot of mock trades have the Spurs attach a draft pick to Fox, just to get him off the books. The Spurs are on the clock. Dylan Harper will start a new, expensive contract in 2029. Castle will start his even earlier. Even if they both take pay cuts as Wembanyama did, it would be impossible for the Spurs to pay those three youngsters and Fox.
So the Spurs have to trade Fox before the 2029-30 season, when he will be owed $61 million unless Seattle or Vegas takes him off their hands.
If the Spurs don’t protect Fox, he’ll be one of the best players available in the 2028 expansion draft. On top of that, he will be owed a maximum salary for only two seasons, giving the new team some financial flexibility.
The Spurs wouldn’t have to give up draft capital to rid themselves of Fox, and they would just barely beat the buzzer on Harper’s extension. That would allow them to keep their core together for as long as possible, with virtually no downside.
Of course, Seattle or Las Vegas could pass on him, sticking the Spurs with a difficult situation. However, Fox alone is enough to keep a team relevant, and giving fans a star to cheer for right away would go a long way toward building a fan base.
For the Spurs, losing Fox in the 2028 expansion draft is the best-case scenario.
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