A mock NBA expansion draft has the Atlanta Hawks losing Mouhamed Gueye.
Las Vegas and Seattle are reportedly moving closer to getting NBA expansion teams, as Shams Charania of ESPN reports that the process for gathering bids for an expansion team in Las Vegas "has moved with more pace than Seattle, but those Seattle conversations are continuing as well."
Charania added that "the league has been targeting as soon as the 2028-29 season for the start of these expansion teams."
In the wake of Charania's report, Bleacher Report NBA analysts Dan Favale and Grant Hughes wrote a mock NBA expansion draft, and in the mock draft, the Atlanta Hawks lose Mouhamed Gueye to the Seattle team.
"Jay Huff was a cost-controlled big on our radar, so good job by the Las Vegas Vipers. Another cheap big on our radar? Mr. Mo Gueye. The 23-year-old is recovering from left foot surgery, so this could be a tad bit early, especially knowing the Vipers just took back-to-back bigs.
"Still, Gueye's defensive versatility and playmaking are too tantalizing to pass up. Frontcourt mobility is paramount for a roster built around Ty Jerome. When healthy, Gueye can bring it in spades at both the 4 and 5 spots—all for the bargain price of $2.4 million."
For the Hawks last season, Gueye appeared in 77 games. He averaged 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 45.2% from the field, 30.8% from beyond the arc and 64.5% from the free-throw line.
Gueye has been with the Hawks since 2023-24 season. He enters next season with career averages of 4.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
It will be fascinating to see when the NBA adds new teams. Las Vegas is the hot spot everyone is looking at.
Several active groups are looking to pay the $7 to $10 billion fee to land the top prize. Sands CEO and majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Patrick Dumont, led a group of interested parties looking at Las Vegas arena sites.
“There is real excitement around the potential NBA sites, including a renovated T-Mobile arena,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at his New York office. “At the same time, there are groups who have presented plans to build what I would call a modern entertainment palace in Las Vegas.”
