How NBA Expansion Could Affect the New Orleans Pelicans

Reports are that two new teams will join the league soon, which could have a major impact on the Pelicans.

Feb 4, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The world is ever-expanding, and the NBA may be as well. Reports indicate that the NBA Board of Governors is likely to vote this summer to add two expansion teams, with Seattle and Las Vegas as the favorite cities to host the new franchises. The move would bring the league to 32 teams, but a change to the conference structure is needed.

Seattle and Las Vegas would no doubt be placed in the Western Conference, leaving an uneven number of teams in both conferences. The fix would be moving one team to the East, and the New Orleans Pelicans could be a potential candidate to move. After the Charlotte Hornets relocated to New Orleans in 2002, the franchise spent two seasons in the Eastern Conference, making the playoffs both years.

The team moved to the Western Conference the season after, when Charlotte was awarded an NBA franchise again. Now, a decision will be made whether the Pelicans should be moved back. Geographically, a move back to the Eastern Conference makes sense. New Orleans is technically farther east than Chicago, Milwaukee, and Indianapolis, all of which are long-standing staples of the conference. A Southeast Division, including the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and Miami Heat, makes sense from a cultural and geographic standpoint.

New Orleans and Atlanta already have a heated football rivalry that spans back decades, tying both cities together in more than just sports. Adding a basketball layer to that dynamic only intensifies the Southern hostility. Add the travel time savings from replacing twice-a-year trips to Portland and Salt Lake City with Charlotte and other Eastern cities, and a move would be advantageous for the Pelicans.

TREY ZION OMG pic.twitter.com/0T1ozuZYNx

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) February 10, 2026

Pelicans Could Benefit from a Potential Move to Eastern Conference

The Pelicans could also potentially benefit from the larger media markets of New York and Chicago, shedding some additional spotlight on them if New Orleans were to be competitive and play those teams in the playoffs. Earlier start times for games and/or more nationally televised games for a competent team could put more pressure on management if more of the larger East Coast national markets talked more about the Pelicans' current state.

Other NBA cities like Minnesota and Memphis can also stake a geographical claim for a move to the East. Those teams have had more success in the Western Conference than the Pelicans, so continuing those current rivalries makes sense for the NBA. New Orleans is embarking on its 11th losing season in the last 15 years, and it has never advanced past the second round of the playoffs in its history. The Pelicans do not have an entrenched history in the conference to worry about maintaining any ties.

Given that the Western Conference has won four of the last six NBA championships, the balance of power remains heavily in its favor. A move East for New Orleans could give them a better chance to compete in that conference and allow them to advance further than they possibly could in the crowded Western Conference. Most will eagerly await the decision the NBA will make later this summer.