The NBA has begun polling team governors and general managers on a series of draft-related measures aimed at dissuading clubs from intentionally losing games, multiple league sources told ESPN.
During a Board of Governors meeting on Friday, executives were shown several concepts that could reshape how first-round selections are protected and awarded, according to the sources. Among the ideas:
- Allowing draft-pick protections only in the top four or from No. 14 downward, removing mid-lottery safeguards that can encourage late-season losses.
- Prohibiting a franchise from landing a top-four pick in back-to-back years.
- Freezing lottery positions after March 1, preventing teams from improving odds by resting starters during the stretch run.
The discussion follows a season-opening gambling scandal that led to federal indictments of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA guard Damon Jones. Prosecutors allege that inside information on lineup decisions and injury status was used to place bets.
New policies on injury reporting
On the same day as the governors’ meeting, the league enacted stricter rules governing the public release of injury information. Teams must now file reports between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time on game days and update NBA.com every 15 minutes, replacing the previous hourly requirement.
The policy produced immediate changes Monday: the Utah Jazz upgraded Lauri Markkanen from questionable to available against Denver, the Dallas Mavericks moved Klay Thompson from questionable to probable versus New Orleans, and the Charlotte Hornets cleared LaMelo Ball to play in Cleveland while downgrading two teammates to out.
Why tanking remains a priority
League officials view tanking and injury report manipulation as interconnected issues. Recent seasons have offered stark examples:
- Dallas Mavericks, April 2023: Still alive for a play-in berth but holding a top-10 protected pick owed to the New York Knicks, Dallas sat Kyrie Irving and limited Luka Dončić over its final two games, both losses. The club was fined $750,000 yet kept the pick, later moving down to No. 12 to draft Dereck Lively II.
- Philadelphia 76ers, 2024-25: The Sixers dropped 29 of their last 37 contests, preserved a top-six protected selection owed to Oklahoma City, jumped to No. 3 in May and chose guard VJ Edgecombe. The pick now carries top-four protection in 2026; Philadelphia is 16-11 and Edgecombe averages 16 points.
- Utah Jazz, March 2025: Fined $100,000 for holding Markkanen out of multiple games, part of a 2-21 finish. Utah still owes the Thunder a first-rounder that is top-eight protected this year after being top-10 protected the previous two seasons; the Jazz currently sit eighth-worst in the standings.
The lottery itself was last overhauled in 2019, giving the three worst records identical 14 percent odds for the No. 1 pick. Since then, three teams have leapt into the top spot from outside the five worst records, including the Atlanta Hawks (10th) and Mavericks (11th) in consecutive seasons.
While no timeline has been set for a formal vote, sources said the league office will continue to refine proposals with the goal of presenting actionable recommendations at a future meeting.
Source: ESPN
