NBA’s proposed lottery would punish tanking, reward winning

The NBA may finally have a lottery plan that hits tanking where it hurts.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the league has presented its 30 general managers with a new draft reform concept being called the “3-2-1 lottery.” If approved at the Board of Governors meeting on May 28, it could go into effect as soon as 2027.

And yeah, it’s a pretty big swing. Commissioner Adam Silver has made it clear where he stands.

“We should have a system where you should hate to lose,” Silver said on a recent Competition Committee call, per Charania. “It shouldn’t be a badge of honor. Losing should be uncomfortable.”

That’s basically the mission statement here.

Under the proposal, the lottery would expand from 14 to 16 teams. But the real twist is what the league is calling a “relegation zone.”

The three worst teams wouldn’t get the best odds anymore. They’d actually be penalized, receiving fewer lottery balls than teams just ahead of them.

In other words, bottoming out wouldn’t carry the same reward.

Teams outside that bottom three but still missing the playoffs would get better odds. Play-in teams would also have a shot, though smaller. And there would be new guardrails. No more winning the No. 1 pick in back-to-back years. No more stacking three straight top-five picks.

There are trade implications, too. Protections in that 12 to 15 range would be off the table.

Around the NBA, there’s an understanding that this might be a bit of an overcorrection. But there’s also a belief it’s needed.

The goal is simple. Make late-season games matter. Give teams a reason to push instead of pivot.

Now it comes down to the vote. If it passes, the draft lottery as we know it will look very different, and soon.