How the NBA Should Realign With 32 Teams: Our Breakdown

The NBA is officially moving toward 32 teams. The Board of Governors unanimously approved exploring expansion bids for Seattle and Las Vegas, with Commissioner Adam Silver saying the goal is to finalize everything within 2026. Both cities are expected to pay somewhere between $7 billion and $10 billion per franchise.

That means conference realignment is coming. And we have a lot of thoughts.

The Problem With the Current Setup

Right now the NBA has two conferences with three divisions of five teams each. That's fine for 30 teams, but it doesn't create real division rivalries. When was the last time you heard someone say "Pacific Division" in basketball? You don't. Nobody cares about NBA divisions because five-team groupings are too big and too spread out to matter.

Compare that to the NFL. Everyone knows the NFC East. Everyone knows the AFC North. Four-team divisions with real geographic rivalries that fans actually care about. The NBA has nothing like that, and it should.

Our Proposal: 4 Divisions of 4 Teams Per Conference

We think the NBA should go to four divisions of four teams in each conference. Sixteen teams per conference, four divisions, four teams each. Smaller divisions create real rivalries. You play these three other teams more than anyone else. You know them. You hate them. That's what makes sports fun.

Move the Timberwolves East

This is the obvious one, and the league reportedly already knows it. Minnesota has no business being in the Western Conference. They're geographically closer to every team in the East than most teams in the West.

And here's the thing. In the NFL, the NFC North already has the Vikings, the Packers, the Bears, and the Lions. Those four cities have a rivalry that runs deep. Now imagine creating that same energy in the NBA. Minnesota, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Detroit all in the same division. The travel makes sense. The fanbases overlap. The rivalry builds itself.

Eastern Conference

The Atlantic Division is the most obvious grouping in basketball. Boston, New York, Brooklyn, and Philly. The rivalries are already there.

The Great Lakes Division is the one we're most excited about. Minnesota, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Detroit mirrors the NFL's NFC North with the Vikings, Packers, Bears, and Lions. Those four cities already have a rivalry in football. Building that same energy in basketball would be incredible for the sport.

Western Conference

The California Division is the one we'd be most excited to watch. Four California teams in one division. Lakers vs. Warriors with division stakes four times a year. The in-state rivalries, the travel convenience, the storylines. You have to keep these four together.

The Pacific Division makes sense for the two expansion teams. Seattle and Portland give you the Northwest pairing, and Las Vegas and Phoenix give you the desert pairing. Geographically it's a little spread out, but the alternative is splitting up the California teams, and that's the wrong call.

Should the NBA Even Expand?

We'll be honest. We're not fully sold on expansion. The NBA already has teams that struggle to fill arenas and generate interest. Before adding two new franchises, we think the league should seriously consider relocation. There are markets that aren't working. Moving a struggling franchise to Seattle or Las Vegas would strengthen the league without diluting the talent pool.

But if expansion is happening, and it looks like it is, then Seattle and Las Vegas are the right two cities. Seattle lost the SuperSonics in 2008 and has been waiting for basketball to come back ever since. Las Vegas has proven it can support professional sports with the Golden Knights, the Raiders, the Aces, and the Athletics on the way.

Why This Alignment Works

Every division has natural geographic rivalries. Every team has three division opponents they'll play more than anyone else. The California Division would be the most-watched division in basketball. The Great Lakes Division would bring back the old Midwest basketball energy that the NBA has been missing.

The NFL gets this right. Four teams per division, and the rivalries are some of the best in sports. The NBA should take notes.