NBA reportedly presented owners three anti-tanking concepts, all bring play-in or playoff teams into mix
NBC Sports • • general
Key Points:
- The NBA presented three conceptual ideas to expand and modify the Draft Lottery to between 18 and 22 teams, aiming to reduce tanking by flattening lottery odds and increasing penalties for manipulation.
- Concept 1 expands the lottery to 18 teams, including all play-in teams, with equalized odds for non-play-in teams and only the top four picks decided by lottery.
- Concept 2 includes 22 teams ranked by combined records over two seasons and sets a minimum win total to discourage losing, with the top four picks drawn by lottery and the rest by record order.
- Concept 3 offers equal odds for the five worst teams and introduces two lottery drawings, with protections preventing the worst teams from falling below 10th pick, involving 18 teams total.
- The league also proposes harsher penalties for tanking, such as moving a team’s draft pick to the end of the first round and imposing multi-million dollar fines, with a Board of Governors vote expected before the NBA Draft.
