As NBA owners prepare to vote next week on advancing expansion to Seattle and Las Vegas—targeting a 2028-29 debut with an official franchise vote likely in July—the move to 32 teams opens the door to revamping the NBA Cup. A full single-elimination format, akin to March Madness, could replace the current confusing group stage and boost fan engagement.
The NBA's 30-team structure currently complicates a pure single-elimination tournament for the in-season NBA Cup, which mixes an unpredictable group stage with entertaining knockouts. While the prize money drives effort, scheduling on varying days and lack of clear stakes amid the regular season hinder excitement, despite flashy court designs.
The NCAA Tournament, kicking off this week, showcases the appeal of single-elimination with 67 games full of upsets and drama—far surpassing the NFL playoffs' 13 games or college football's 11. Expansion to 32 teams by decade's end could shift the NBA Cup to a streamlined November/December single-elimination event.
To equalize game counts (ensuring every team plays five games) and create 1-32 rankings for tiebreakers, loser's brackets after each round could be introduced. This wouldn't match postseason intensity but could spark early-season intrigue, where current NBA Cup results have underwhelmed.