With under a month left until the games really start to matter, there’s been plenty of NBA buzz to go around. From the league possibly adding two more teams to a rash of injuries and the start of the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments, there’s a ton of hoops to talk about right now.
Let’s unpack it all today.
Expansion ‘Inevitable?’
NBA governors are set to vote on adding two new teams in two new markets — likely Seattle and Las Vegas — later this month. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks report that, even if an expansion doesn’t happen this time, it’s seen as “inevitable” to happen at some point, given how much league commissioner Adam Silver is prioritizing the vote.
Should the NBA expand? The league finds itself in a strange purgatory. Yes, ratings are allegedly up (although some of that could be the result of Nielsen’s revamped tracking strategy), but everyone has been attacking teams for blatant tank jobs and a deeply unpopular 82-game regular season schedule.
Folks are more divided on the NBA’s rash of 3-point shooting and seeming de-emphasis on defense. Games invariably also get bogged down with overlong play call reviews and frequent foul baiting. In-game attendance has also gotten prohibitively pricey for many families, and access to local broadcasts has been an issue for a while.
Maybe the league should tend to these issues first, rather than adding new franchises stateside or creating some kind of league presence in Europe, which Silver has also been floating.
Sources inform the ESPN duo that, although the National Basketball Players Association will not get to vote on a potential expansion, the union is generally in favor of a move that would add 36 total new player positions, between standard roster and two-way signings.
When the Seattle SuperSonics abandoned the Pacific Northwest and rebranded as the Oklahoma City Thunder, they agreed that a new Seattle team would immediately inherit all of the SuperSonics’ history for no extra cost. The Collective Bargaining Agreement currently in place would permit fresh franchises to have salary caps worth up to 66.6 percent of the standard salary cap during their first season of existence. They would be allowed caps worth 80 percent of the normal cap in their second season, and would get to 100 percent by the third.
Michael Caterina-Imagn ImagesSam Vecenie’s March Madness Prospects to Watch
With the First Four games of March Madness now upon us, Sam Vecenie at The Athletic takes a gander at nine of his favorite present NCAA players.
Vecenie notes that Duke power forward Cameron Boozer, a virtual lock to be a top-3 pick alongside BYU forward AJ Dybantsa and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, seems likely to emerge as the 2026 National Player of the Year. Vecenie cautions that Boozer will be facing something of a murderer’s row in the East Region — including Dybantsa’s No. 4 seed Jayhawks, No. 2 seed UConn, No. 3 seed Michigan State, No. 5 seed St. John’s, and No. 7 seed UCLA.
Dybantsa and Peterson get some shine from Vecenie, too, as do probable All-American First Team Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr., the upside of Connecticut sharpshooter Braylon Mullins (who’s been trending in the wrong direction recently), Houston center Chris Cenac Jr., and more.
Winslow Townson-Imagn ImagesBoston Faces A Major Neemias Queta Decision This Summer
After years spent languishing as the fourth option at center, Neemias Queta was finally promoted to the Boston Celtics’ starting center role this season.
The Portuguese big man has responded to the opportunity with aplomb, emerging as a great rim-rolling option who can also protect the post on the other end. The 26-year-old has been averaging 9.9 points on 63.8 percent field goal shooting and 69.1 percent free throw shooting, 8.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 blocks and 0.8 steals a night through 64 games so far.
With Queta in the midst of his best season while still on a veteran’s minimum contract, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron predicts that he could be in line for a massive pay bump with his next deal.
Boston has a $2.7 million option on Queta’s services for 2026-27. Gozlan believes that, were Queta to hit free agency this summer, he’d fetch something in the range of $15-17 million on the open market. Should he remain this good next year, Gozlan predicts that he could earn in the range of 12 percent of the 2027-28 salary cap, which would put him more in line with Jarrett Allen and Jakob Poeltl’s current deals, i.e. $27-28 million.
So would the Celtics prefer to negotiate a deal with Queta in free agency this summer, or wait till next year when he might be worth more money?
Jesse Johnson-Imagn ImagesOdds & Ends
Four-time All-Star Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards will miss the next one-to-two weeks with an inflamed right knee, per a team statement. Being without their best player could prove costly for both Edwards and Minnesota down the season’s home stretch. The 24-year-old has only appeared in 58 games, and needs to suit up for at least 65 (with some exceptions) for All-NBA and MVP consideration. The 41-27 Timberwolves, meanwhile, have fallen into the Western Conference’s sixth seed, and are just two games ahead of the 39-29 Phoenix Suns for the dreaded No. 7 seed and a play-in tournament bracket appearance. Detroit Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart, one of the club’s key defensive fulcrums, is struggling with a Grade 1 calf strain, according to Detroit. Undersized reserve center Paul Reed could be in line for more minutes until Stewart returns. Former highly-touted Pistons lottery pick Killian Hayes has found a long-term NBA home again. Unfortunately, it’s with one of the league’s most frustrating organizations. Shams Charania of ESPN reports that Hayes has inked a two-year deal with the Sacramento Kings, after impressing the club with his play through two 10-day contracts. Through his 10 games with Sacramento, Hayes has been averaging 3.8 points on .269/.208/.833 shooting splits, plus 3.3 dimes and 2.0 boards per. With March Madness upon us, a flurry of New York Knicks past and present have joined the hype machine. In a new campaign for AT&T, dubbed “Ranger Ted,” former New York All-Star shooting guard John Starks joins current All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns on a hike with the titular park ranger character (played by Broad City‘s Arturo Castro). They link up with Knicks Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing plus current bench guard Jose Alvarado over the phone to simultaneously tune in for the NCAA Tournament tip-off. It’s a savvy spot that highlights the service’s connectivity — and the inter-generational connectivity between Knicks luminaries. This all leads us to wonder… when will we get the Matas Buzelis/Michael Jordan/Horace Grant crossover ad campaign to highlight connectivity, AT&T? I’ve been doling out moments from an awesome conversation with Hall of Fame Bulls.com scribe Sam Smith about his new book with Phil Jackson, Masters of the Game: A Conversation History of the NBA in 75 Legendary Players. Check out some recent snippets here, here, here, and here. More to come this week!Hence then, the article about around the nba expansion buzz march madness boston s queta decision more was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Around the NBA: Expansion Buzz, March Madness, Boston’s Queta Decision, More )
Also on site :