NBA Expansion Could Hurt Hornets in More Ways Than One

The Charlotte Hornets were the beneficiaries of the last time NBA expansion happened. The city got a franchise back, the Bobcats, and while it has taken some time, fans who've been around are finally being rewarded.

Just in time for the Hornets' ascension, the NBA is expanding again. The governors will vote on it this month, but it sure looks like Las Vegas and Seattle will be getting NBA teams by the 2028-29 season.

Just in: The NBA will hold a vote at the Board of Governors meetings March 24-25 to explore adding expansion teams exclusively in Las Vegas and Seattle, with the two franchises targeted for the 2028-29 season, sources tell ESPN. There is momentum for stakeholders to approve… pic.twitter.com/H6AYVdhh7S
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 16, 2026

Obviously, no NBA team benefits from expansion, primarily because of the draft. The new teams have to get players, and those players have to come from NBA teams, so the Hornets will lose something.

Though these rules are from the 2004 expansion, it is likely that the NBA would do something similar. That means that the Hornets can protect eight players under contract (no expiring contracts) and can lose up to two players. In 2004, the rules prevented teams from losing more than one player, but that was with one expansion team.

With two expansion teams, it is reasonable to think the league would allow two Hornets to be drafted. We know they'd protect LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel. The others are up in the air, depending on the contract status and what happens with current players, like Miles Bridges and Coby White.

They'll lose someone, perhaps two players, crucial to their rotation. But more importantly, the NBA will realign, hurting the Hornets there, too. The East would gain two teams since both Seattle and Las Vegas would be in the West.

The Timberwolves or Grizzlies are expected to move to the Eastern Conference if the NBA approves expansion teams in Las Vegas and Seattle, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/xvPQ84pojY
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 16, 2026

The early reporting suggests that the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies would move to the East. The Grizzlies are down now, but they've been good. And as long as the Timberwolves have Anthony Edwards, they'll be good.

That's two more decent teams added into the East, where the Hornets are trying to move up in the world. The East has been bad for a long time. In a cruelly ironic twist, the one time the Hornets are decent, the rest of the East is, too. They're 34-34 and the 10th seed when half the time, the 10th seed is below .500.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) drives past Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball | Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

Add in the Timberwolves to the East, and suddenly, it's even more crowded. The East is improving along with the Hornets, which is unfortunate. Soon, the NBA is going to make the East better, which is also incredibly unfortunate for the up-and-coming Charlotte Hornets.

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