NBA moves closer to anti-tanking measures with drastic change to draft lottery odds
The NBA moved closer to a slightly expanded 16-team lottery Tuesday, one that will flatten odds of winning the No. 1 pick and try to deter tanking by drastically lowering the chances of winning for the teams that finish with the three worst records. The “3-2-1 Lottery” proposal, which was reviewed by the league’s general managers, will be further discussed before it goes the Board of Governors for a final vote that is expected next month.
It will not change the current format, which will likely be utilized for the final time when the lottery for this year’s draft is held May 10. This would go into effect next year. The proposed plan will be discussed again at a competition committee meeting on Thursday.
It would add two teams to the current 14-team lottery structure and incentivizes winning even for teams that aren’t still in the race for play-in or playoff spots. The 16 teams in this proposal would all get somewhere between one and three lottery balls — hence the 3-2-1 name that has been attached to the plan — and the awarding of those balls would be broken down thusly: — The losers of the No. 7 vs.
No. 8 play-in games in both conferences would get one lottery ball each. — The No.
9 and No. 10 seeds going into the play-in tournament would get two lottery balls each. — The remaining 10 teams that miss the playoffs and the play-in would all get three lottery balls — with the exception of the three worst teams in the standings.
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