Changes to the discussed NBA Draft Lottery system may be coming and with them, teams tanking may be eliminated, or at least minimized.
“The National Basketball Association is aggressively pursuing draft lottery reform that could be voted into legislation before the start of the 2017-’18 season, league sources told ESPN,” a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said. “Commissioner Adam Silver is a strong advocate to de-incentivize tanking by implementing lower odds on the NBA’s worst teams to gain the top picks in the draft, league sources said.”
Wojnarowski added that “The proposed measures would also increase the chances of better teams making a jump up into the draft lottery. The NBA’s 14 non-playoff team compromise the league’s annual draft lottery system.”
Tanking has long been a part the plan of at least some bad NBA teams. But it’s come under particular fire in recent years with the Philadelphia 76ers making no bones about their tanking model.
Of course, finding a truly better replacement can be easier said than done. Much like most other leagues, the NBA’s Draft system has always served to give the worst teams the best picks.
Wojnarowski noted that even if passed, any new system would be “phased into use over time” and that 2018’s draft would likely go unchanged.