New York, NY — April 2026 — A proposal to expand the NBA draft lottery is meeting resistance from team executives concerned it could deepen incentives to tank, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Lottery expansion sparks debate
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday that the plan drawing the most support would widen the lottery to 18 teams, granting the bottom 10 clubs identical 8% chances of landing the No. 1 pick. The remaining 20% of odds would be split among the eight play-in participants, and every slot from 1 through 18 would be decided by lottery.
During a Tuesday conference call, several general managers questioned the format, according to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor. Executives argued the change might push teams to slip from the league’s six worst records into play-in territory—or even to miss the play-in entirely—to chase favorable odds. “This solves nothing,” one GM said. “It could make the problem even worse just like the 14% odds did.”
Some front-office voices instead endorsed a 22-team lottery, reasoning that a club deliberately losing a postseason series for a slim chance at the top pick is improbable. Flattening the odds further, they contend, would make precise tanking positions less attractive.
One GM proposed barring the league’s three worst teams from drawing No. 1 at all, an idea the league office labeled too drastic. Commissioner Adam Silver showed more interest in slightly trimming those clubs’ odds instead.
If the field grew to 22 teams with reduced chances for the bottom three, O’Connor projected a sample distribution: 5% each for the league’s three worst records; 6% for the next seven non-play-in teams; 5% for play-in losers; 4% for the two weakest first-round losers; 3% for the next three; and 2% for the remaining three first-round exits.
Players pick their 2026 MVP
A poll of 159 players conducted by The Athletic placed Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander firmly atop the 2026 Most Valuable Player race with 62 votes (39.0%). Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić followed with 34 votes (21.6%). No other candidate topped 13 votes (8.2%). San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama finished outside the top five, while Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić risk ineligibility under the NBA’s 65-game requirement.
Executives eye postseason storylines
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst surveyed league figures on what they will watch this postseason: the Cleveland Cavaliers’ sliding defense, the San Antonio Spurs’ sudden shooting accuracy, and whether Pistons center Jalen Duren can serve as a championship-level second option. “I’m terrified to give him his max, but the dude is a beast,” one Western Conference executive said of the restricted-free-agent-to-be.
Mark Jones ending 36-year ESPN run
Play-by-play veteran Mark Jones will call his final ESPN broadcast Sunday when the Boston Celtics face the Orlando Magic, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported. Jones has been with the network since 1988, covering NBA and college football.
Source: HoopsRumors
