It’s taken years, but the NBA has finally settled on a new anti-tanking policy, and this one might just work.
In a report by ESPN’s Shams Charania, details of the new draft reform are revealed, including changes designed to disincentivize teams from throwing regular-season games. Under this new format, teams would, in fact, be punished for having a bottom-three record by having their lottery odds lowered.
“The NBA has disclosed to its 30 general managers a new anti-tanking draft reform termed the ‘3-2-1 lottery’ that includes expanding the lottery to 16 teams, flattened odds, and a relegation zone where the bottom three teams would be penalized with fewer lottery balls for the No. 1 pick, starting with the 2027 draft,” wrote Shams.
Adam Silver and the NBA office have taken a hard stance against tanking this season, following multiple instances of teams blatantly throwing games or resting key players for certain matchups. The Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers were even fined $500K and $100K, respectively, for violating the NBA’s player participation policy. Now, they are setting plans in place to ensure that lottery odds are no longer tied to losing games.
“The ‘3-2-1 lottery’ proposal, named to represent the number of lottery balls per team, would expand the lottery from 14 to 16 teams. Teams that do not qualify for the playoffs or play-in tournament but stay out of the relegation zone (spots four through 10) would receive three lottery balls each. Teams with a bottom-three record — the relegation area — would have only two lottery balls but have a floor of the No. 12 pick, and the rest of the 13 lottery teams could fall as far as the No. 16 pick. The Nos. 9 and 10 play-in seeds in each conference receive two lottery balls each, and the losers of the 7-8 play-in games receive one lottery ball each.”
It’s not just excessive losing in one season that is being addressed. The new rules also inhibit the rewards for prolonged losing by ensuring that no team can win the top pick two years in a row or a top-five pick for three years in a row.
“Previously, the league drew odds for only 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. In addition, no team would be able to win the top pick in consecutive years or be able to win three consecutive top-five picks. Teams also would not be able to protect picks in the 12 to 15 slots going forward.”
Many suggestions have been made to address the NBA’s tanking problem, and it seems the league has finally settled on a solution. While it may not be the perfect system, it will surely do a better job of fairly distributing young talent without letting teams betray the game’s competitive spirit.
While this proposal will not be well received by the NBA’s bottom feeders, it’s a welcome change for fans, who have been subjected to ugly and disgraceful acts of tanking for years. These guidelines, while harsh, will help drive a more competitive experience across the board, even if they rob rebuilding teams of their quickest path to contention.
