Green on NBA Expansion: “Will there be less talent? It’s about the money”
Could two new teams dilute the NBA’s talent pool? Draymond Green believes the risk exists, but says it takes a back seat to the league’s growing revenues
NBA expansion now appears to be only a matter of time, but one question remains: could adding two more teams lower the league’s overall level? Draymond Green has some doubts, although he believes the real issue lies elsewhere.
During The Draymond Green Show, the Warriors forward discussed the concept of talent dilution, explaining that the issue primarily concerns owners and front offices, much less the players on the court.
I don’t necessarily think talent dilution is a problem for players. It’s more of a league, ownership and front-office issue. I don’t care how good the next player on the opposing team is. It doesn’t matter to me. From an ownership standpoint, though, it’s something you have to worry about
Draymond Green
Green also pointed out that 13 teams were tanking last season, while emphasizing just how deep the NBA’s talent pool is today.
The talent pool is great, it’s good. But is it enough to add two more teams? Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know. There are a lot of players outside the NBA who think they deserve to be in the NBA. But when you talk about expansion, there’s always a trade-off: you take players from existing teams and dilute the talent on their rosters
Draymond Green
According to Green, however, the real issue ultimately comes down to money. Adding more franchises would mean new markets, greater interest and, above all, further growth in league revenue.
At the end of the day, money talks and everything else matters very little. Everyone is in favor of expanding the revenue pool. There are markets waiting for a team. Look at what these franchises are worth. Who wouldn’t want two more? At the end of the day, if there is talent dilution, I think it will be outweighed by the increase in revenue. That’s just my opinion
Draymond Green
So despite his concerns about the potential impact on the league’s competitive level, Green believes that from an economic standpoint, NBA expansion would be extremely difficult to turn down. The increase in revenue would ultimately carry far more weight than the risk of spreading the available talent across more teams.