3 Ways NBA Expansion Impacts OKC Thunder

How does this decision impact the Oklahoma City Thunder in the midst of a sustained run of success with the deepest and most talented roster in the NBA? That is the question swirling around Bricktown and the entire NBA landscape since the news was announced.

3 Ways NBA Expansion Will Impact the OKC Thunder

1) The NBA Expansion Draft Doesn't Hurt the Thunder as much as Most Think

There is no question that the Oklahoma City Thunder have the deepest roster in the NBA. Littered with talent and seeing some players out of the rotation on a given night that would be mainstays elsewhere, it is easy to assume the Thunder would be the team most punished by the first NBA Expansion draft since 2004.

However, it is important to note that under the current NBA Expansion Draft rules, teams can protect up to eight players on their roster. Once a player is selected by either Seattle or Vegas, that team can not lose another member of its club. That puts the maximum number of players Oklahoma City could lose at one. The Thunder could also deal one of their plethora of first-round picks in lieu of losing a current player.

Even if the expansion draft happened tomorrow, the only unprotected players in an expansion draft would be roughly Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe, Jaylin Williams, Kenrich Williams, Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber. While there are some big names there, it is important to note that not only do the Thunder have a mechanism to avoid losing anyone, but this draft is still in the distant future.

By the time the Seattle and Vegas teams are ready to fill a roster, there is a strong chance that this list of names not only dwiddles but is less impactful, enticing options to be selected. Losing one of the current projected unprotected players would hurt, but it would be far from a death sentence for this era of competitive basketball in Bricktown.

2) Money Talks

The Oklahoma City Thunder are already set to enjoy a boost in revenue when the team opens up a brand new arena –– the Continental Coliseum –– during the 2028-29 season. A venue mostly paid for by the city and a profit that will allow Oklahoma City to stomach its expensive payroll.

On top of that financial win for the Bricktown Ballers, the team would be paid out expansion fees from the Seattle and Vegas clubs before they tip the ball off in a new look 32-team league. With the amount of money the Thunder will need to shell out to keep the band together of this title team, this is a massive win for Oklahoma City.

3) A Potential Tougher Western Conference

Sure, Vegas and Seattle project to have lean years in the beginning, given the struggle of picking from the other 30 teams' unprotected rotational players and needing to start in rebuild mode, it will not stay that way forever. In the immediate future, it makes an already tough Western Conference even more challenging from a travel standpoint.

As part of this expansion, the NBA will move one of either New Orleans, Memphis or Minnesota to the Eastern Conference to rebalance the two sides.

This would take away one of the easier trips to make logistically for the Bricktown Ballers in exchange for one of the longest trips the team can possibly make up to Seattle, Washington.

Honorable Mention: A new Rivalry is born instantly

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Seattle Supersonics will instantly become rivals driven by the two fan bases. Sure, the players will probably not care, especially right out of the gate, but the energy from the crowd in each of these matchups will quickly get them up to speed.

It will also be good for the City of Seattle to have all their pre-2008 history back in their community and rebirth a fun organization with a passionate fanbase.