The Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl LX in convincing fashion as the Bad Bunny halftime performance turned out to be more entertaining than the game itself. But that may not be the only "W" Seattle receives this year. This summer, the NBA could vote to expand its league by two teams, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News reports.
"Think it's going to be an extra-great year for Seattle. I'm hearing NBA Board of Governors likely to vote on expanding by two teams this summer and Las Vegas and Seattle are favored," Townsend said on X.
Seattle is one of the best sports cities in the country and deserves a team after having the SuperSonics ripped from their hearts -- something the Portland Trail Blazers hope to avoid with ongoing talks surrounding the Moda Center lease. Bringing back the Pacific Northwest rivalry would be great for the league.
In general, expansion would be beneficial as well. But one thing these rumors have sparked discussion about is the expansion draft. If that were to come to fruition, each team would only be able to protect eight players. That would force teams into difficult roster decisions, including the Blazers.
We did our best to break down who Portland would keep in this increasingly realistic scenario.
Blazers' young core should be protected in an expansion draft
1. Deni Avdija
2. Donovan Clingan
3. Toumani Camara
4. Shaedon Sharpe
5. Scoot Henderson
6. Yang Hansen
These six are the Blazers' foundational pieces. Four recent first-round picks and two trade steals have shaped their young core, which continues to get better.
The only one you could make a case for moving on from is Yang Hansen, given his concerningly bad rookie campaign. But we've simply seen too many flashes of upside from the Blazers big man to cut ties with him at just 20 years old. Portland would be kicking itself if another team reaped the benefits of a more developed Hansen, especially if it turned out to be their PNW rival. In the end, the ceiling justifies the continued investment. Portland's front office likely feels the same, given the draft gamble they took last summer.
What about Portland's veterans?
7. Damian Lillard
8. Jerami Grant/Jrue Holiday
This is where things get much more difficult. Damian Lillard is essentially a lock, given his contract, status with this franchise, and high ceiling if he returns to form next season. Jerami Grant hasn't quite fit Portland's rebuilding timeline since the moment he signed his massive new deal in 2023. Meanwhile, Jrue Holiday is already 35 and only getting older and more expensive.
In this scenario, we'd made Holiday the odd man out with Grant being four years younger as the tiebreaker. Ultimately, it could come down to how these two are playing by the time the Blazers would actually be forced to make this roster decision.
Grant and Holiday are clearly more talented than the other remaining options, but the overpaid contracts give us hesitation. Still, the Blazers have been willing to overlook those contracts up to this point, deciding to keep both trade candidates past the deadline. Barring a major decline, I don't see why this decision would be any different.
The emergence of their young core (see players 1-5) has allowed Portland to accelerate its rebuilding timeline. They've proven too talented to bottom out, meaning it suddenly makes more sense to roster players like Grant and Holiday to take the team in the other direction.
It would still be a brutal decision, as so many other young assets have contributed this year, with Portland overcoming key injuries. But for a team looking to make a playoff push, keeping these overpaid veterans may have to come at the expense of some of their other young pieces. A polarizing decision that could leave the fan base divided.