New York, May 28, 2026 — The NBA Board of Governors has overwhelmingly approved a series of draft-lottery reforms designed to discourage teams from deliberately losing games, a practice commonly known as tanking. The changes take effect next season and will remain in place through 2029.
Main features of the new system
• Expanded field: The lottery will now include 16 clubs instead of 14, adding both No. 8 seeds from each conference to the drawing.
• “3-2-1 lottery” format: The number of lottery balls allotted to each team will depend on its final standing:
– Teams with the three worst records — labeled the “relegation zone” — receive two balls apiece.
– Clubs finishing in spots four through 10 among non-playoff teams are given three balls each.
– The two No. 8 seeds that qualify for the postseason enter with one ball apiece.
• Flattened odds: Outside the bottom-three penalty, the league has leveled the remaining probabilities to reduce incentives to finish as low as possible.
The vote passed 29–1, with the Memphis Grizzlies casting the lone dissenting ballot, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. League officials spent months crafting the plan with owners and team executives before bringing it to a final vote.
Incentivizing wins at the bottom
By granting the lowest odds to the clubs with the very worst records, the NBA hopes to push struggling teams to remain competitive throughout the season. If the approach proves successful, the board can extend it beyond 2029; otherwise, additional adjustments may be considered.
Lakers remain opposed to tanking
Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka recently reaffirmed that deliberate losing is not in the franchise’s plans. During his end-of-season media session, Pelinka noted that other clubs “went through multiple seasons of losses” to rebuild through the draft, adding, “that is just not part of our infrastructure here.”
The league’s revamped lottery structure will debut at the 2027 NBA Draft, where all 16 eligible teams will test the new odds for the first time.
Source: LakersNation.com
