Expansion talk is ripe in the NBA, and the first vote on expansion by the NBA board of governors could take place next week, ESPN's Shams Charania reports. The league is looking to expand from 30 to 32 teams, with one new team in Seattle and the other in Las Vegas. Expansion would certainly bring about a draft to fill the new teams, and it could mean the Nuggets would have a rare chance that only comes along at expansion drafts.
In 2004, the NBA expanded to include the Charlotte Bobcats. The NBA allowed teams to protect up to eight players per team who were under contract or restricted free agents for the following season. Unrestricted free agents were exempt, as they were not under team control. We'll play by 2004 rules for our examples, but with two teams coming, the rules would likely be altered.
So if you have more than eight players under contract for the following season, you have to narrow down to eight. But the league doesn't tell teams who they have to keep. And that opens up a nice loophole.
Teams can choose to dump a bad contract if they want
The sneaky overlooked loophole in the expansion process for all teams is the fact that they can take advantage of the process by shedding salary, or an unwanted player who throws off team chemistry.
The rule doesn't say you have to keep your five highest-paid players. It just says you have to keep eight players. And that's where you can shed salary if that's your desire.
The Nuggets only have two players under contract for 2028
The expansion teams are projected to start play in 2028-29. As of now, only Jamal Murray and Christian Braun are under contract for that season, and Aaron Gordon has a player option, which I would assume he exercises for $39 million. Murray is owed $57 million, and Braun $25 million.
And it's that Braun contract that could raise eyebrows in a couple of years. He's owed $26 million and $28 million in the following two years. All large sums of money compared to his $4.91 million deal for this season.
Braun's finally been playing better for the Nuggets. He's averaging 18 points on 59% shooting over his past five games, up from a paltry 11.6 points on the season.
That's part of what was giving Nuggets fans dread over Braun. He wasn't playing well enough this season, and that looming large contract was coming. That's why the NBA expansion could provide the Nuggets with such a rare opportunity in a couple of years. The chance to get out from under a contract or a player you no longer desire doesn't come around very often.