For years, NBA fans have been eagerly awaiting expansion, and the league could be on the verge of adding two new teams in Seattle and Las Vegas. According to Brad Townsend, the NBA Board of Governors is likely to vote on expansion this summer, with Seattle and Las Vegas being the favorites to land new teams.
Think it's going to be an extra-great year for Seattle. I'm hearing NBA Board of Governors likely to vote on expanding by two teams this summer and Las Vegas and Seattle are favored.
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) February 9, 2026
Now, even if a vote is passed, expansion likely won't occur until the 2027-28 season at the earliest. Regardless, if and when the NBA expands, the Minnesota Timberwolves could move to the Eastern Conference -- something that would greatly benefit the franchise.
Moving to the East would be a game-changer for the Timberwolves
It's no secret that the East is an easier conference than the West. This year, the standings don't fully tell the story. Nevertheless, the West has more clear-cut title contenders than the East, which is far more wide-open. Last year, the eight seed in the West won 11 more games than the eight seed in the East.
Let's not dwell on the difference between the conferences too much. I think most people understand there's a big difference.
With Seattle and Las Vegas possibly getting new teams, the league would have to move one current Western Conference team to the East. Undoubtedly, Minnesota should be the favorite for this realignment.
Yes, technically, Memphis is the most Eastern city in the West. However, Memphis is closer to other Western Conference teams than Minneapolis is. Notably, Milwaukee, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, and Indianapolis are all closer to Minneapolis than the closest Western Conference team (Oklahoma City). Simply put, it makes sense to move the Wolves to the East if expansion indeed gets approved.
This decision would be mutually beneficial as the league could balance out the conferences by adding a proven Wolves team out East.
The Wolves have made back-to-back conference finals appearances. Despite this, it's unclear what their playoff ceiling is in the West. If they were in the East, though, is it far-fetched to suggest that they'd be favorites? I don't think so.
With Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, the Wolves have ample star power. While their depth isn't great, the Wolves have a balanced team ranking top-10 in both offense and defense. Furthermore, they have plenty of playoff experience. They check nearly all the boxes of a championship-level team.
Maybe you think the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, or another team would still be favored over the Wolves. Nonetheless, for my entire lifetime, conference imbalance has existed, and it's not going anywhere.
If the Wolves change conferences two years from now, when Edwards enters his true prime at 26, that could alter the trajectory of their franchise. Of course, they'd still have to beat an elite Western Conference team in the finals, but the Wolves' path to winning it all would be a lot smoother.
Assuming that an expansion vote happens this summer, it's clear that the Wolves will be in favor of it.