The 1970 NBA Expansion Draft was the fifth expansion draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 11, 1970 before the 1970–71 season, as the league expanded to 17 franchises with the addition of the Buffalo Braves, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Portland Trail Blazers. Both franchise were founded after the league granted NBA franchises for Buffalo, New York, Cleveland, Ohio, and Portland, Oregon on February 6, 1970. The Braves later underwent several name change and relocation before moving to Los Angeles. They are currently known as the Los Angeles Clippers. In this draft, the Braves, the Cavaliers and the Blazers were allowed to select unprotected players from the existing NBA teams. Each of the existing teams had protected seven players from their roster. Afte