Trending Now - NBA Considers Major Reforms to Draft Lottery to Combat Tanking

WHO:

Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner

Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors head coach

Jared Weiss, reporter for The Athletic

Tom Tolbert, podcast host

WHAT:

Adam Silver plans to implement "substantial" changes to the NBA draft lottery in 2027.

Proposed changes include disconnecting the draft order from team records and potentially implementing a straight lottery system.

Steve Kerr suggested flattening the odds for all teams in the draft lottery, proposing that all 14 teams have equal chances (approximately 7.14%) for the top pick.

Kerr also proposed financial incentives for teams making the playoffs, such as cap relief or cash incentives.

WHERE:

MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (location of Silver's announcement)

Golden State Warriors (team associated with Kerr)

WHEN:

Announcement made by Adam Silver on Friday, March 4, 2026.

Steve Kerr's comments were made on Tuesday, March 1, 2026.

WHY:

The changes are being considered to combat the issue of tanking in the NBA, where teams intentionally lose games to improve their draft position.

Silver noted that the current draft process leads to misaligned incentives and that societal expectations have changed regarding team behaviors.

HOW:

Silver mentioned that a straight lottery system would remove the temptation for teams to lose games on purpose.

Kerr's proposal includes creating significant incentives for teams to aim for playoff positions rather than tanking for a better draft pick.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced last Friday at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference that he plans to implement substantial changes to the draft lottery in 2027, aiming to address the issue of teams intentionally losing games, known as tanking. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr suggested on Tuesday that all 14 teams should have equal chances for the top pick, along with financial incentives for playoff-bound teams to encourage competitive play. Silver's proposed changes could include disconnecting the draft order from team records and potentially introducing a straight lottery system to realign incentives within the league.