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On Thursday, nan NBA Board of Governors approved a scheme designed to dramatically reshape nan draught lottery successful hopes of combating nan league’s tanking problem.
Teams aren’t intentionally losing because they bask being bad. They do it because nan strategy rewards it. The mobility is whether nan NBA’s latest overhaul really fixes nan issue.
With a decisive 29-1 vote, and nan Memphis Grizzlies casting nan lone dissenting vote, nan convention approved its caller 3-2-1 lottery structure.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 14: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during a property convention during 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend astatine Intuit Dome connected February 14, 2026 successful Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images) ((Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images))
The revamped strategy expands nan lottery section to 16 teams and strips nan league’s 3 worst teams of nan astir favorable draught odds.
NBA TRIES FIXING TANK JOBS WITH CONFUSING '3-2-1' LOTTERY SCHEME NOBODY ASKED FOR
After years of disapproval complete tanking, Commissioner Adam Silver introduced his astir fierce effort yet to discourage franchises from bottoming out.
Under nan caller format, nan NBA will importantly trim nan likelihood of nan No. 1 prime for nan league’s 3 worst teams.
Meanwhile, teams finishing pinch nan fourth- done 10th-worst records will person improved odds.
Under nan revised structure, nan ninth- and 10th-worst teams will transportation nan aforesaid 5.4% chance astatine nan apical wide prime arsenic nan NBA’s existent bottom-feeders.
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Additional safeguards besides forestall franchises from winning nan No. 1 prime successful consecutive seasons aliases landing a top-five action successful 3 consecutive drafts.
On paper, nan changes look to fortify competitory integrity. In reality, they whitethorn simply redirect nan incentives.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver announces nan commencement of nan first information of nan NBA draught successful New York connected June 25, 2025. (Adam Hunger/AP)
Instead of rewarding nan league’s worst teams, nan caller strategy heavy favors franchises finishing successful nan mediate of nan lottery standings.
The 3-2-1 exemplary discourages full-scale teardowns, but creates a caller inducement for teams stuck adjacent nan play-in line. A larger group of mediocre teams now has logic to technologist late-season slides. The extremity shifts from racing to nan bottommost to softly drifting retired of nan postseason image and into amended lottery position.
Teams hovering adjacent nan playoff bubble will quickly admit that falling from nan eighth seed to nan ninth could materially amended their likelihood of landing a franchise-changing player.
The Play-in tourney only complicates nan math.
Under nan caller rules, nan loser of nan opening matchup betwixt nan seventh and eighth seeds receives lottery eligibility and a 2.7% chance astatine nan apical pick, while nan victor locks itself into a precocious first-round selection.
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That remains nan cardinal flaw successful nan NBA’s attack to tanking.
The convention continues trying to modulate behaviour without addressing nan economical reality driving it.
Intentional losing persists because nan draught remains nan NBA’s astir reliable pipeline for superstar acquisition, peculiarly for small-market franchises that seldom pull elite free agents.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks during a property convention astatine nan Emirates NBA Cup Final astatine T-Mobile Arena successful Las Vegas, Nev., connected Dec. 16, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
The caller format will apt destruct immoderate of nan more blatant vessel jobs, nan 15-win rosters built astir G League call-ups earlier Christmas, satisfying broadcast partners and fans tired of unwatchable late-season basketball.
But it whitethorn besides switch bottom-tier tanking pinch a league-wide jockeying lucifer for positioning successful March and April.
The title to nan bottommost whitethorn beryllium slowing down.
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The title to nan mediate is astir apt conscionable getting started.
Send america your thoughts: [email protected] / Follow on connected X: @alejandroaveela
Alejandro Avila is simply a longtime writer astatine OutKick, surviving successful Southern California.
