Conferences could be a thing of the past when the NBA considers expansion.

Seattle and Las Vegas appear to be viable expansion targets for the NBA, but their inclusion could force other franchises to move to the Eastern Conference to balance the league.

However, the difference in strength between the two conferences might require a different change, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported that Western coaches and executives believe eliminating conferences altogether might be the best option.

“As coaches and executives in the West become increasingly exasperated with records that could qualify for the playoffs in the East, they are pitching a concept. The NBA is slowly moving toward expansion, may -to be in 2-3 years, with Seattle and Las Vegas as If this happens, there will potentially be a battle between the Mississippi River teams (the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Memphis Grizzlies and the New Orleans Pelicans) to be the “lucky one” to move to the East to balance the conferences 16 clubs each. Instead of facing this thorny competition, West executives told ESPN that they believed both problems could be corrected. “Ditching conferences altogether and ranking teams 1-16, regardless of geography, would create a reason to take another look.”

While this could lead to a difficult travel schedule during the playoffs, some executives believe improving the overall product should be the NBA’s priority.

“It would be the right thing to do for the health of the league,” a West general manager told Windhorst. “It’s not just about fairness, it’s about giving fans the best product in the playoffs.”

Currently, only four teams in the Eastern Conference are above .500, while 12 teams in the Western Conference are at or above .500. Although it is still early in the season, this is an alarming trend. This could lead to some mediocre teams making the playoffs while strong teams miss out strictly due to geography.

Additionally, the lower level of competition in the East could lead to an easier playoff run for the eventual conference champion, while the West team will have to survive a challenge. This could give him a significant advantage in the NBA Finals.

A 1-16 seeding format could ensure a more balanced playoffs and could eliminate some of the major disparities that occur early in the playoffs.

While managing travel can be difficult, increasing entertainment value might be the best approach for the league.