By admin 
The NBA continues to trend towards expansion.
Following the NBA’s Board of Governors meeting to explore the possibility of expansion into Seattle and Las Vegas in March, the process has now advanced into the next stage of planning for the 2028-2029 campaign. According to reports surfacing, the league is aiming to welcome two new franchises, putting the league total at 32 teams and reshuffling both the conference and divisional lay of the land as a result.
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While the majority of the NBA community is excited about the NBA spreading its wings and reaching new markets, there are some media personalities who are firmly against the idea. One of those is long-time journalist and prominent NBA personality Brian Windhorst, who doesn’t believe the Association is financially stable enough to move forward with expansion.
“I’m not really super for it, this puts me in a weird spot. When I was 17 years living in Akron Ohio, the Cleveland Browns relocated to Baltimore. They have since one multiple Super Bowls and the Browns have been horrendous and it was devastating. This was a devastating thing. Now they got a team back and it was actually a pretty good job by their politicians to secure the team back, but I’ve seen some of the books of the NBA teams and I’m not sure that there’s 30 healthy,” he
“My point is that some of these teams are barely scraping by on their operating because they’re losing so much money and we’re seeing the NBA have to put in tanking rules every couple of years because you got teams who realized they don’t want to be in the middle. So you add teams, you’re continuing to prop up teams that are not financially healthy and you’re creating a bigger and bigger middle that nobody wants to be in,” he added.
Windy’s concerns
Windhorst brings an element to the conversation that is largely glossed over when discussing expansion and that’s the financial health of the league. Clearly, he doesn’t believe the NBA should be looking to grow when organizations are having difficulty with managing their money currently.
It’s an interesting point and probably a fair one when considering the current financial state of the league. There are franchises that are flourishing, but there are others, like the Portland Trailblazers, for example, who are experiencing very public financial concerns.
Combining that with the rapid selling of organizations over the past few seasons, the recent record penalty given to the L.A. Clippers for circumventing the salary cap and the negative spotlight that has clouded the NBA as a result, it’s hard to ignore where Windy is coming from.
Of course, there is another side to this coin, too. At the end of the day, the NBA is a business and while others are struggling, that doesn’t mean that every franchise is in the same boat.
Teams compete in different markets and operate in entirely different economic conditions, meaning the results will naturally vary. Size of the market matters, the financial health of the state will play a part and undoubtedly owning an NBA team overall is still a profitable business decision for the most part.
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Like any business, the organization has profit and loss statements. They need to make more than they earn. There is a certain amount that needs to be brought to the table every season and Windy’s concerns are ingrained in the belief that not all is what it seems on the surface.
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Geographical impacts and valuations
We’ve touched on the markets and a large ramification of an NBA expansion would be the most likely rezoning of the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Eastern Conference. It has been reported that the Timberwolves would be most fitting to swap conferences considering where they sit geographically, but that in itself changes the course of league history in its own right.
We would see a young and rising superstar in Anthony Edwards compete in a conference that has lacked star power in recent years, and all the history of the Wolves in the West would seize the moment; everything is finalized. It’s a daunting proposition for an organization that isn’t directly involved in expansion by any means other than voting, but a significant one for the success of their team moving forward.
The other notable factor at play is the valuations of new teams. Windy is already worried about the current financial state of existing franchises, but when contemplating bids expected for Las Vegas, which will be in excess of $10 billion and $7 billion for Seattle, respectively, it could be making his point for him.
When taking into account that the Los Angeles Lakers were recently sold for a record $12 billion (which some felt wasn’t a true valuation, just a motivated buyer and desperate sale), it raises questions about the financial viability of the league in the immediate future when dealing with such exorbitant numbers in a struggling economy.
We haven’t heard too many others speak on the economic feasibility of the league currently when analyzing whether now is the right time for expansion, but perhaps we should.
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This story was originally published September 16, 2026 at 8:11 AM.