NBA Considers Revising Draft Lottery to Address Tanking

Proposed changes aim to discourage teams from intentionally losing games to improve draft position.

Feb. 28, 2026 at 7:39pm

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The NBA is considering revisions to its draft lottery system in an effort to address the growing issue of tanking, where teams intentionally lose games in order to improve their chances of landing a top draft pick. Several potential changes are being discussed, including freezing lottery odds at the trade deadline, preventing teams from picking in the top four in consecutive years, and flattening the odds for all lottery teams.

Why it matters

Tanking has become a major integrity and business problem for the NBA, with teams' efforts to lose games negatively impacting ticket sales, fan experience, and the overall competitiveness of the league. Commissioner Adam Silver has emphasized the need to solve this issue, as it threatens to become an even bigger scandal than the Tim Donaghy refereeing controversy.

The details

According to reports, the NBA is considering a variety of changes to the draft lottery system, including: freezing lottery odds at the trade deadline, preventing teams from picking in the top four in consecutive years, preventing teams from picking in the top four the year after making the conference finals, determining lottery odds based on a two-year combined record, extending the lottery to include play-in teams, and flattening the odds for all lottery teams.

  • On Thursday, February 20, 2026, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told the league's General Managers that changes could be coming to the NBA's draft lottery.

The players

Adam Silver

The Commissioner of the National Basketball Association.

Mat Isbhia

The owner of the Phoenix Suns.

Mark Cuban

The former majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks.

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What they’re saying

“Teams trying to lose games is bigger than any prop-bet controversy the league has experienced. Beyond tanking being an integrity problem, it can become a business problem.”

— Mat Isbhia, Suns Owner

“The league should embrace tanking and focus instead on game experience.”

— Mark Cuban

What’s next

The NBA is expected to continue discussions and potentially implement changes to the draft lottery system in the coming months to address the tanking issue.

The takeaway

The NBA's tanking problem has become a major integrity and business concern for the league, prompting the consideration of significant changes to the draft lottery system. While the proposed revisions aim to discourage intentional losing, the league will need to find a more fundamental solution to fully align team incentives with winning in order to truly eliminate the practice of tanking.