NBA Basketball 8-Hour Briefing

Last updated: March 16, 2026, 12:30 PM ET

League Structure & Player Resilience

The NBA officially moves closer to adding expansion franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas, with internal mechanisms like a potential expansion draft now being detailed for those markets. This organizational maneuvering comes as the on-court action features spectacular individual comeback stories, such as Lakers guard Marcus Smart who is driving his team's surge in the Western Conference standings despite suffering a severe hand injury requiring stitches from a self-inflicted wound.