In order to curb the recent increase in tanking by weaker NBA teams, the league is planning a series of measures that will fundamentally reform the current lottery system. The abolition of the draft, which Commissioner Adam Silver had been considering, is therefore off the table for the time being.
According to Shams Charania, the NBA commissioner contacted the general managers of all 30 teams on Thursday regarding the planned changes. The rules are expected to take effect as early as next season, which means they could also apply to the upcoming draft.
The following changes are planned:
– First-round picks can only be protected in the top 4 or top 14 (plus) (previously no restrictions)
– The standings around the trade deadline will determine lottery probabilities (previously, the end of the season was the cut-off date)
– Elimination of the possibility of drafting in the top 4 in two consecutive years. – Lottery probabilities will be calculated based on performance over the past two years (previously only the previous season). – Conference Finals participants cannot draft in the top 4 in the draft after next. – Lottery will be extended to all play-in teams
– Lottery probabilities of all lottery teams will be adjusted
During All-Star Weekend, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver described the current tanking of various teams as “worse” than in previous years and announced his intention to make immediate changes. In the course of this, he said he was prepared to “pull out all the stops” – even abolishing the draft had been discussed. However, the proposal was met with criticism. Among others, Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban strongly opposed the idea. If the draft/lottery reform were to actually become reality to the extent mentioned, it would probably be one of the biggest changes in history. Most recently, in 2019, the league slightly adjusted the lottery probabilities for the worst teams. It is the sixth reform in NBA history.
The lottery will take place on May 10. The order of the upcoming draft will be determined based on the different probabilities of all teams. Until now, almost all teams had different chances of getting the better picks, with the three teams with the worst season records having the best chances of getting a top-3 selection.
