The Athletic NBA Daily – “NBA Expansion Draft Protections”
Morning Shoot Around | February 18, 2026
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Zena Keita, Esfandiar “S” Baraheni, others
Episode Overview
This lively, fast-paced episode centers on a major NBA “what if”: How would teams approach an expansion draft if it happened this summer? The crew goes through each team in the NBA, using an expansion draft simulator to protect eight players per roster, debating which players they'd expose, and weighing contract situations, on-court value, and team-building strategy.
The tone is energetic, irreverent, and packed with inside jokes and honest disagreements. The episode is a must-listen for NBA fans curious about roster construction, CBA strategies, and the personalities behind the league.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Defining the Expansion Scenario
- Expansion Team Names: Hosts invent team names for the two hypothetical new franchises. “Las Vegas Strips” quickly becomes a running joke, triggering talk about James Harden being the ideal first pick (06:45).
- The exercise assumes the draft happens this upcoming summer to avoid contract technicalities.
- Protection Rules: Each team can protect eight players. Some players (free agents, certain contract statuses) are automatically ineligible for protection.
2. Approach to Team Protections
- Strategic Factors Considered:
- Talent/youth vs. tradable contracts.
- Salary cap and luxury tax avoidance.
- Teams’ window/tanking vs. contention.
- Expiring contracts valued as trade chips.
- Personality in Picks: The hosts often debate picks based on personal preferences, future potential, and team fit.
- Memorable moment: “There’s only one way to build an expansion team... Tank.” — Dave DuFour (52:33)
3. Team-by-Team Protection Debates (Eastern Conference)
(Notable moments only; the episode covers every team in detail)
- Atlanta Hawks: Jalen Johnson an “easy protect.” Jonathan Kuminga, Corey Kispert round out the debates (07:55–09:26).
- Charlotte Hornets: Miles Bridges left unprotected (“I would unprotect him and just hope he’s a Seattle Supersonic.” – Dave, 11:57)
- Brooklyn Nets: Porter Jr.'s value debated due to contract/cap considerations.
- Chicago Bulls: Grim tone at lack of core talent; Patrick Williams “sent with a plane ticket to Vegas” (13:03).
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Sam Merrill and Craig Porter Jr. debated as late picks.
- Detroit Pistons: Duncan Robinson kept for trade flexibility over “better fit” players.
- Indiana Pacers: Real dilemma with crowded, competitive young core—“They’re gonna lose someone big” (18:19). The Johnny Furphy vs. Jarrace Walker argument is evenly split (19:44).
- Quote: “If Indiana is trying to win, they need more wing defender types…” – Podcast Co-host 1 (20:51)
- Miami Heat: Andrew Wiggins’ contract discussed as a possible asset more than a player; emphasis on how salary floor rules now impact draft/trade decisions (23:58–24:46).
- Toronto Raptors: Detailed breakdown by “S” on why Jakob Poeltl’s contract is “one of the worst in the league” (41:10–43:30).
- Washington Wizards: Who to protect among a group of youth and trade assets—Cam Whitmore vs. Bub Carrington prompts a stat debate (46:14–47:16).
4. Team-by-Team (Western Conference) & Strategy Shifts
- Dallas Mavericks: The recurring debate: to protect aging stars (Kyrie, Klay) or young upside (AJ Johnson); logic leans to maximizing trade value (48:20).
- Denver Nuggets: Most picks straightforward; backup bigs vs. lottery tickets considered late (50:12–51:27).
- Houston Rockets: Prioritizing youth and core pieces (Shengun, Amen) over new veterans like Dorian Finney-Smith (57:13–57:27).
- LA Lakers/Clippers/Warriors: All wrestling with shallow depth; Lakers force-protect Bronny to control LeBron’s landing spot (60:26).
- Golden State: “After Steph, you can take anybody else” (54:03). Heated debate: Draymond vs. Jimmy Butler for that last spot (55:21–56:02).
- Minnesota Timberwolves: “Don’t protect Rudy so fast.” – skepticism about older big contracts (64:54).
- New Orleans Pelicans / Thunder: Gymnastics to juggle tons of young talent, assets, and contract realities.
- Utah Jazz: Noted by hosts as a legit stash of young assets at the bottom of the West (82:28).
5. Expansion Draft Shenanigans & Tanking
- Expansion teams can take on bad contracts for assets (“NHL shenanigans”).
- Salary floor rules mean expansion teams must absorb/prioritize some large contracts (24:13–25:13).
- Trades involving protected slots, future picks, and salary dumps are expected.
- Strong debate over whether a new team should tank for draft odds (“In my mind there’s only one way to build an expansion team: Tank.” – Dave DuFour, 52:33). Andrew and “S” argue the case for trying to win while failing, for the sake of fun and fans.
- Memorable moment: “The first expansion team to be fined for tanking – Andrew Schlecht as GM. That’s your legacy.” – Dave DuFour, 85:03
- Discussion of how the NHL’s Vegas/Seattle model (“good early!”) differs from NBA’s star-driven parity (53:03–53:39).
6. Notable Trends and Observations
- High-dollar veterans lose value: Teams happy to expose aging/expensive players (e.g., Miles Turner, Draymond Green, Tobias Harris).
- Trade assets > talent in some cases: Expiring contracts, especially near $30M slots, are coveted for potential deals (e.g., Wiggins, RJ Barrett, Drew Holiday).
- Teams with young cores most vulnerable: Pacers, Thunder, Magic, Jazz forced to expose young talent due to depth.
- Stat quirks: Bub Carrington has the league’s worst plus-minus, but hosts laugh off the stat’s importance for tanking teams (47:14–47:25).
7. Listener Interaction/Call to Action
- Fan engagement: “Let us know if we messed up your team…” (82:50). Multiple avenues offered for feedback—email, YouTube comments, Spotify.
- Sneak peek: Draft-eligible list revealed, with speculation about which type of expansion strategy will work best (83:40–84:29).
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On what makes a good expansion draft pick:
- “Trey Man feels like an expansion point guard.” – Dave (12:26)
- On the Pacers:
- “They’re gonna lose someone big.” – Podcast Co-host 1 (18:19)
- Tank or win?
- “There’s only one way to build an expansion team... Tank.” – Dave DuFour (52:34)
- “I’d rather see these teams try to win and then fail than just come in with a tanking plan from day one.” – Dave (27:28)
- On NBA’s star economics:
- “The way you win in the NBA is you have to have a top 10 player.” – Dave Defore (53:11)
- Golden State protection conundrum:
- “After [Steph], you can take anyone else.” – Podcast Co-host 1 (54:03)
- On Warriors’ final protected spot:
- “What the Warriors would do is protect Draymond... what I’d do is keep Jimmy.” – Xena (56:01)
- On assembling via bad contract:
- “You could build a really unhappy 32 win team is what you could do.” – Dave Defore (84:26)
- On the absurdity of the exercise:
- “What if every year, everyone was on a one-year contract and we just did a 30 team draft every season?” – Dave (76:51); “NBPA is knocking at your door right now, Dave.” – Podcast Co-host 1 (76:58)
Important Timestamps
- Building the exercise/Las Vegas team debate: 05:10–07:15
- Atlanta Hawks protection picks begin: 07:37
- Pacers protection and “someone big goes” debate: 18:19–21:41
- Expansion rules and cap shenanigans: 24:13–27:28
- Golden State protection dilemma/Draymond vs. Jimmy: 54:50–56:04
- Tank vs. win debate: 52:29 & 85:01
- Young teams forced to expose prospects: 69:06–70:47
- Final draft-eligible list preview: 83:40–84:29
Conclusion/Rap-Up
The crew wraps after nearly 90 minutes of roster wrangling, inviting listeners to “let us know if we messed up your team,” and teasing next week’s show—where they’ll run the actual expansion draft and build the Vegas and Seattle rosters from the unprotected pool.
Summary Takeaways
- This episode gives a unique, realistic look at how NBA insiders believe an actual expansion draft might unfold, revealing both the difficult decisions teams would face and the fascinating “gray areas” of modern NBA roster management.
- The crew combines deep CBA/contract knowledge with authentic fan zeal, making the episode both rigorous and entertaining.
- Expansion in the NBA is much more than picking the best available—it’s a chess match of value, contracts, trade flexibility, and building for both the present and the future.