Sam Presti spoke about the NBA considering a change to its expansion draft rules where each team is only allowed to protect a maximum of eight players who are either under contract or are restricted free agents. Given the age and depth of the Oklahoma City Thunder core, they could be a team that is adversely impacted by the ability to protect only eight players.
“The thing to note about the rules are that a lot of the expansion rules relative to the personnel stuff were written in like 1980,” Presti said. “They haven’t been changed since 1980. One thing that we know about Adam Silver since he’s been the commissioner — and I think he’s done an unbelievable job of this — is he has modernized the league in every single possible way. I think we’re the most sophisticated league in a lot of different ways. I think the idea of working off a set of rules that were used when (Larry) Bird and Magic (Johnson) were rookies, I don’t think that’s going to meet the smell test for his administration. I also think, again, we’ve come a long way and the world has changed since that period of time.
“One thing the league is really focused on, if there’s a team or teams that are well-managed, you’re not going to randomly be disadvantaged. So I think if that ever comes about, I’m sure there will be plenty of focus and work to make sure that there is parity of opportunity and, ultimately, fairness about those rules.
“Also, team-building is so much different than it was at that point and time. But those rules made it through ’80 to 2004 and I’m sure every step of the way Adam has looked at every square inch of the league to make sure that it’s fair, but it’s also modern, and I’m sure he’ll do that again. But that may also never come to pass because I don’t know if they’ll ever decide to do that.”
