According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA is aggressively pursuing draft lottery reform. Sources tell Woj that the vote could happen this month at the board of governors meeting. Commissioner Adam Silver wants to deincentivize teams from tanking, and ultimately have each team put a good product on the floor. If the lottery reform goes through, the NBA team with the worst record will have lower odds of gaining the #1 pick in the subsequent draft.
The NBA’s Competition Committee could send a formal recommendation to the Board of Governors next week in order to gain final approval before a vote. If approved the new rules would go into legislation in time for the 2019 draft.
Silver has talked about lottery reform for a while, particularly in the wake of the 76ers tanking strategy. Most teams and their officials will deny it, but tanking is an effective way to improve your team. The 76ers used it well over the past few years and their “trust the process” mantra has them looking like a legit basketball squad that could make the playoffs sooner than most people think.
In his article Woj detailed other proposed changes in the draft lottery:
Presently, the NBA team with the worst record can drop no lower than No. 4 from No. 1, but the NBA’s currently proposed legislation could allow that team to drop from first to fifth in the lottery, league sources said. This would include a domino effect through the lottery, where the second-worst record presently dropping no lower than fourth, could fall to sixth. Then, the No. 3 team could drop as far as seven, and on down, league sources said. Plus no team could secure the #1 pick in two consecutive drafts.
Silver wants to ensure all teams fielding a quality product. You couple that with what has always worked for the NBA. A handful of dominant teams and everyone else playing catch up. That model works and it forces other teams to step their games up. Teams will have to get smart and really work to keep up with the league’s best.