EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe NBA's board of governors voted overwhelmingly Thursday to change the league's draft lottery format beginning with the 2027 NBA draft, the league announced.The new format expands the lottery from 14 to 16 teams, including the 8-seed in each conference's playoff picture, and adds anti-tanking measures where the bottom three teams are dealt lesser chances for the No. 1 pick while flattening odds for teams that do not qualify for the playoffs or the play-in tournament.The new "3-2-1 lottery" was put together over the past couple of months and signifies the number of ping-pong balls each of the final three teams will receive in the lottery.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.The vote was 29-1, sources told Charania, with only the Memphis Grizzlies voting against the measure."Since October, the league office has met with key stakeholders to discuss current competitive incentives and solicit ideas aimed at discouraging tanking," the league said in announcing the changes. "That process led to the creation of the 3-2-1 Lottery."The league will also wield expanded disciplinary authority to address tanking, including the ability to reduce teams' lottery odds, modify teams' draft positions and impose significant fines on offending teams as part of the new lottery format.Under this format, the teams with the three worst records will each get two ping-pong balls -- while the teams with the fourth through 10th worst records will each get three balls. The three worst teams also will now have a floor of picking 12th in the draft, further disincentivizing them from wanting to be bad.The Nos. 9 and 10 play-in seeds in each conference will receive two lottery balls each, and the losers of the 7-8 play-in games will receive one lottery ball each. Previously, the league drew odds only for teams with the bottom four records in the league, while the other 10 lottery teams were ordered by inverse record. Under this proposal, all 16 teams would be in the drawing -- one that, sources said, likely will be done live next year, either going from 1 to 16 or, more like it is unveiled currently, from 16 to 1 to build more suspense.Teams also will no longer be able to get the No. 1 pick in back-to-back years -- meaning the Washington Wizards can't get the No. 1 selection in 2027 after winning the lottery this year, and teams are also unable to have a top-five pick for three consecutive years, something that impacts only the Utah Jazz in 2027.The Jazz's pick, which they have traded to the Grizzlies already, can finish no higher than sixth in next year's draft (presuming Utah is in the lottery in the first place).Teams also will not be able to protect picks in the 12 to 15 slots going forward, in another practice aimed at preventing teams from building in a floor for a traded draft pick (though pick protections that have already been agreed upon will remain in place).The proposal includes a sunset provision that will see this format expire after the 2029 season -- right when there's an opt-out of the current collective bargaining agreement. That will give the NBA the flexibility to either extend this system, if it is working, or potentially tear it up and replace it with something new.One possible change already being raised by sources is the potential for a "draft credits" system, but that would require a lot of work and study before it could be implemented.Ever since NBA commissioner Adam Silver made it clear back in March that fixing the league's tanking issue was a top priority, it was clear there were going to be fundamental changes to the draft system to accomplish that. The league is hoping that creating several measures that disincentivize losing will lead to significant changes in behavior moving forward -- though only time will tell if it actually does that."I do think ultimately this is a decision that needs to be made at the ownership level," Silver said following a two-day NBA board of governors meeting 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."
