Report: NBA finalizing '3-2-1' draft lottery reform proposal

Field Level Media|published: Tue 28th April, 19:12 2026

May 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, US; A person watches the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery at McCormick Place. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

The NBA has shared details of its anti-tanking, "3-2-1 lottery" draft reform plan with team general managers, according to a report from ESPN.

There could be minor tweaks to the proposal ahead of it being voted on by the league's owners on May 28, but the larger points of the plan have a majority of support and it is likely to be approved, per ESPN.

The "3-2-1 lottery" proposal is named for the number of lottery balls teams would be eligible to receive for the draft lottery drawing. It would expand the lottery from 14 to 16 teams, all of whom would have a chance at the No. 1 overall pick.

The teams with the worst records, though, will no longer have the best odds. The bottom three teams would fall into the relegation area and receive two lottery balls for the No. 1 pick.

Instead, the teams that miss the playoffs and play-in tournament but stay out of the relegation zone (fourth through 10th from the bottom of the standings) would be tied for the best odds with three lottery balls.

The ninth and 10th seeds of the play-in tournament would also receive two balls, while the loser of the play-in games between the seventh and eighth seeds would earn one lottery ball.

Additionally, there would be rules under this new format about the frequency with which teams could earn certain tiers of picks. No team could earn the No. 1 pick in consecutive years or more than three consecutive top-five picks.

Fighting against tanking has been a recent talking point for NBA commissioner Adam Silver. This proposal would also reportedly give the league the ability to reduce a team's lottery odds or even change a team's draft positioning if it is deemed to be tanking.

Per the report, this proposal would expire after the 2029 draft -- the last draft ahead of the current collective bargaining agreement, which expires after the 2029-30 season. This sunset provision would allow owners to continue the "3-2-1" system or transition to a new draft lottery format at that time.

--Field Level Media