New NBA Draft Lottery allows worst 3 teams equal chance at No. 1 pick

The NBA’s competition committee recommended commissioner Adam Silver’s NBA Draft Lottery reform to its board of governors for a final vote, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Sept. 28, which they approved. The change will take place in 2018, allowing the worst three teams the same chance at the No. 1 pick.

What’s different?

The biggest proposed change in the draft lottery process is the new odds at the No. 1 overall pick. Currently, the NBA’s worst three teams bear 25.5 percent, 19.9 percent, and 15.6 percent odds, respectively, at the No. 1 pick.

Now that Silver’s reform is passed, the three worst teams will split 14 percent odds at the top draft pick in 2019 with the following teams dropping “incrementally by a percentage point or two,” according to Wojnarowski.

The punishment for losing the draft lottery is also slightly worse. The worst team has potential to fall to the No. 5 pick, the second-worst can fall to No. 6, and so on and so forth.

What else?

The competition committee also recommended Silver’s proposition to curb player resting during the regular season, according to Wojnarowski. He would have the authority to fine teams for resting multiple players in a single game or healthy players in a national TV game.

What’s next?

The draft lottery reform was approved by the NBA’s board of governors for a final vote on Sept. 28. Since they voted in agreement with Silver’s reform, the new draft lottery will become legislation and take effect beginning in 2019.

So while the 2018 NBA Draft is loaded with big names like Michael Porter Jr., Luka Doncic, Marvin Bagley and more, it could be the last time we see teams racing to the bottom.