The NBA is making one of the biggest changes to its draft system in years after the league’s Board of Governors voted overwhelmingly to approve a brand-new lottery format aimed directly at discouraging tanking.
The vote passed 29 to 1, with the Memphis Grizzlies reportedly being the only team to oppose the proposal, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Beginning with the 2027 NBA Draft, the league will expand the lottery from 14 teams to 16 teams, bringing both No. eight seeds from each conference’s playoff picture into the draw. The updated system, called the “3-2-1 Lottery,” reshapes how ping-pong balls are distributed and significantly reduces the reward for finishing with the NBA’s worst record.
“Most importantly, from the league’s perspective, the new format disincentivizes teams from tanking and finishing with the worst records, a rampant problem the league has experienced with teams in recent years as they try to accumulate the best possible lottery odds for the draft’s top pick,” Tim Bontemps reported for ESPN.
Under the new rules, the three worst teams in the league will each receive two ping-pong balls, while teams ranked fourth through 10th worst will receive three each. The league also introduced a safeguard preventing the bottom three teams from falling no lower than 12th overall in the draft.
The NBA is also introducing stricter anti-tanking penalties. Teams found deliberately losing games could now face reduced lottery odds, altered draft positioning and substantial fines.
“Since October, the league office has met with key stakeholders to discuss current competitive incentives and solicit ideas aimed at discouraging tanking,” the NBA said in a statement announcing the changes. “That process led to the creation of the 3-2-1 Lottery.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has made it clear the league views tanking as a growing issue.
“I do think ultimately this is a decision that needs to be made at the ownership level,” Silver said following the league’s Board of Governors meetings in March. “It has business implications, has basketball implications, has integrity implications for the league.”
“So, it’s one that we take very seriously, and we are going to fix it. Full stop.”
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