The NBA’s Board of Governors will vote this week on whether to explore adding expansion teams in Las Vegas and Seattle. Mike Vorkunov, Jesse Granger, Vic Tafur, Sabreena Merchant and Oskar Garcia of The Athletic consider whether Las Vegas is the right choice for NBA expansion.
While the general consensus among the authors is that the city would be a viable choice for expansion despite being a relatively small media market, Tafur suggests that it would benefit the league if the potential new team is able to be competitive sooner rather than later, as Las Vegas “does not have a strong attention span.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) examines the contract situations of 10 players who will or could be free agents this summer, including four Lakers (Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart) and two Pistons (Tobias Harris and Daniss Jenkins). Reaves has earned a significant raise on his current contract and has boosted his value this season, according to Gozlan, who wonders if a rival team might give the 27-year-old guard a two- or three-year maximum-salary deal in an effort to poach him away from Los Angeles. Either way, Gozlan expects Reaves to still be a member of the Lakers in 2026/27.
- The WNBA and WNBPA have reached a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, the NBA announced in a press release. Players are projected to receive major pay increases across the board, among other noteworthy details.
- Zach Harper of The Athletic lists the top five teams on his Misery Index, with the Bucks coming in at No. 1, followed by the Kings at No. 2 and the Pelicans at No. 3. Not only has Milwaukee had a very disappointing season, but the team also doesn’t have young players to build around or much hope of turning things around in the near future, Harper writes.
Someone nailed it on Vegas. This economist rates it not viable to bring one here going back 10 years.
Vegas nightlife will be undefeated
NBA should not make it too hard for expansion teams to win because Vegas could become the next Vancouver grizzlies if they lose 60 games per year
Another national reporter who shows he pays no attention to the Bucks. If this is what he said, only 1/3 of it is correct:
“Not only has Milwaukee had a very disappointing season” true
“but the team also doesn’t have young players to build around” false. Ryan Rollins may win MIP, they will have a lotto pick this summer, and Dieng looks like he’ll become an impact role player.
“or much hope of turning things around in the near future” VERY false. They can hire a new coaching staff and rid themselves of the Doc dark cloud, and they have 3 future firsts (not including 2026) to trade this summer plus a lot of expiring salary. That’s a better package than they gave up for Lillard. They have the ammo to make a huge splash this summer, which will convince Giannis to sign another extension. Just like 2020 and 2023.
If you’re not going to pay attention to Milwaukee or look at them objectively, then pipe down.
Gotta be honest here boss. None of what you laid out comes across as “objective”.
Rollins winning MIP isn’t happening. Like at all. Outside of the award having very stiff competition this year, Rollins stats have benefited tremendously by his playing time basically doubling. Looking at stats that can show valuable data regardless of playing time can provide clarity on whether a player is getting more stats because he’s getting more minutes vs getting more minutes because he’s getting more stats (sorry if that’s worded poorly). TS% is down but right around where it’s been while in Milwaukee. His eFG% is the same thing. Little bit down from where it’s been but not by much. His USG is actually pretty encouraging but not really close to guys like Jalen Johnson or Deni Advija who are certainly much higher on the list for MIP (Johnson should get it btw). Per 36 and per 100 possession stats are a bit harder to extract concrete evidence for anything but I suppose you could cite those as evidence to the contrary. Not a huge VORP guy either (sorry Davey!) but it suggests that he’s improved but hasn’t made as much of an impact as you’re alluding too. PER suggests the same. His game is growing and he’s young so you’re definitely right about that. But MIP candidate? No.
The “turning things around” part of your comment is also taken a little too harshly. I really don’t think it’s a hit piece on the Bucks lol. The reality of the situation is that Milwaukee took a big swing on Lillard and it didn’t work. That could have been resolved. When they decided to add $20M annually in dead money for 5 years, they sealed their fate. You can’t build a competitive roster in this NBA landscape with that kind of money being wasted. And it’s ultimately the decision that made Giannis leave. We can sit and go back and forth about whether Giannis actually wants to leave and how he’s never said the exact words blah blah blah. If anything about trade rumors are true it’s that where there is smoke, there is fire. He’s wants out and he’ll get his wish.
You’re also talking about shipping out all the draft capital they have currently to land a big fish. Doesn’t seem like the wisest idea considering they’re criticized for not being a very young team right? I mean I like Rollins and I think Dieng COULD become a meaningful bench guy but is that worth risking the next 10 years? Add a lotto pick this year and you’ve assembled the next era of the Milwaukee Bucks? I have a hard time believing that anyone in that FO holds those opinions. At least to the level that you are displaying.
This team is missing the play-in tournament… in the East. They’d have to win 12 straight to even hit .500. They’re like 10 games behind the Charlotte Hornets for crying out loud. I mean even IF they drafted a superstar this year, how many years is it going to take for that guy to actually be ready for meaningful Spring basketball? How well does that work with Giannis’ timeline?
Gotta learn to read the writing on the wall BEFORE it’s on fire.
You’re sipping the ESPN/big market bias kool aid. You think I’m not being objective?
1. He is an MIP candidate. Look at the betting markets. I never said he would win. Quote all the stats you want, but increased minute loads are what you see from MIP finalists every year.
2. Since you like advanced stats, look at Lillard/Giannis P&R numbers last year. It worked. You can’t say a big swing didn’t work out because he had a catastrophic injury. The on court product was there. The dead money is no big deal and everyone overrates it. Teams build with lots of dead money: look at Phoenix. Milwaukee isn’t close to the tax and won’t be next year.
3. When did I suggest they will get a superstar in the lotto? They wil most likely draft 9th or 10th. Their next guy doesn’t need to be a superstar, he just has to become a high-quality role player, which guys from that range accomplish as rookies. They will have young players next year that NEXT to Giannis could work out moving forward. And yes, they will ship out their draft capital for a star, like they did the last two times Giannis came up for an extension. So you don’t think anyone in the Bucks front office shares these opinions? It has happened before, TWICE. “Shipping out all the draft capital they have currently to land a big fish. Doesn’t seem like the wisest idea considering they’re criticized for not being a very young team right?” You do realize they still will have a draft pick in even-numbered years, right? They can get young players to add to the core every other year.
4. “If anything about trade rumors are true it’s that where there is smoke, there is fire. He’s wants out and he’ll get his wish.” Again, you are taking rumors as fact OVER what he himself has said. He has never said or indicated he wants out. He has SAID wants to be in Milwaukee, despite their bad season, but could change his mind. So absent of him stating that, I’m going with what he’s put out there. Not his agent, not rumor-mongers looking for clicks. Not second-hand stuff that is even more up to interpretation and confirmation bias.
5. “This team is missing the play-in tournament… in the East. They’d have to win 12 straight to even hit .500. They’re like 10 games behind the Charlotte Hornets for crying out loud.” Your point? Look at Philly, Toronto, and to a lesser extent Charlotte and Atlanta this year. Teams are turning it around in a year in this NBA.
Please tell me how this isn’t objective. I am not stating “hey this guy is gonna be a star” or “Giannis might mean this by nebulous statement X.”
Wow. This is deranged brother. I really tried to have an actual discussion about your favorite team. I’m sorry that you still haven’t accepted your reality. Gets easier after 20 years. I truly hope it doesn’t take that long.
You might be the only defender of that Dame trade left on planet Earth btw. Props for riding that ship to sea floor.
You’re so fragile that you immediately resort to insults when someone disagrees with you. You responded to my comment because you wanted to discuss? I disagree with all your points in a VERY logical manner—notice how I made fact-based arguments, not opinions—and you just think I’m deranged/delusional. Again, go look up Dame/Giannis P&R numbers. I’ll wait.
You’re THAT soft to think that you could be wrong and have to become a petulant child when someone disagrees with you? And then you gaslight me saying that I’m not accepting reality? Again, look at the numbers, and consider the facts I laid out in the comment. Trying to tell me I’m insane because I don’t agree with you is toxic af. And indicative of an insecure, abusive person. I hope you get help.
If you didn’t want an argument and for someone to tell you that they think you’re wrong, you shouldn’t have replied. Now you’re getting muted because you can’t have a good-faith discussion (actual discussion LOL), instead going ad hominem because you’re that insecure.
The irony of calling me fragile while having a melt down that I called your clearly homer takes “deranged” is hilarious. Didn’t even call you deranged. Just your statements.
The amount of people who can only see their teams as gods amongst men is astounding. Hands down some of the least intelligent people you could come across and this site is FULL of them.
News flash since I have to be the bad guy:
Giannis is leaving, you’ll get a bad return because he’s got 1 year left, you’ll eat the Dame money and be happy to be a bottom feeder for the next 4 years. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out LMAO
Dude he cooked you and you acted like a baby when he disagreed with you. He replied with actual stuff that happened and you only go off the vibes from shams lol. Of course he’s a homer, that’s not deranged or unintelligent that’s just being a fan. You’d say the same stuff about your fave teams. So then you just troll him bc you want Giannis to leave the bucks and look even worse. You look like the unintelligent one here ngl. Just take the L and move on.
I’d say the same things about my favorite team???
The new guys crack me up. “He cooked you!!!!” LMAO. You and Twitch Lord Davey are going to get along just fine. Let the grown ups talk now.
He ain’t… that trade was good, he just got hurt and they never had a playoff run. On the floor those two were crazy.