NBA's push for draft-lottery reform driven by fans' disapproval of tanking
The fans spoke, and the NBA listened.
The Association is working to improve the draft-lottery system based on research indicating that "many fans continue to say that tanking is making them less interested in the league," president of league operations Byron Spruell told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Commissioner Adam Silver has proposed changes to the current lottery structure in an effort to give teams less incentive to bottom out. That proposal has been recommended by the Competition Committee, and will be implemented if agreed upon by at least three-quarters of the teams (23 of 30) at next week's Board of Governors meeting.
"We need to continue to focus on competitive play, and owe it to our fans and business partners to do that," Spruell added.
The rule change is expected to pass "easily," team executives told Wojnarowski, and would come into effect beginning in 2019 if so.
As part of the proposal, the three worst clubs would have an equal shot at winning the lottery, with a 14 percent chance.
| Lottery rank | Current odds at No. 1 | Proposed odds at No. 1 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 14 |
| 2 | 19.9 | 14 |
| 3 | 15.6 | 14 |
The teams in the 7-10 range would have a better shot at moving into the top three.
| Lottery rank | Current odds at top 3 | Proposed odds at top 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 15 | 23 |
| 8 | 10 | 19 |
| 9 | 6 | 15 |
| 10 | 4 | 10 |
And last but not least, the clubs at the back end of the lottery heap (11-14) would maintain their low odds of moving up, so they would have little reason to make a late-season push to miss the playoffs.
Silver's previous attempt to reform the draft lottery failed in 2014 when small-market teams voted against it over concerns the changes would put them at a further disadvantage to land star players.
This time around, the commissioner has been trying to convince clubs that the changes are important for the league's integrity and economics, which impacts all organizations regardless of market size.