The NBA's new anti-tanking plan has drawn mixed reactions from league pundits about the proposal's rules.
ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news on April 28 about the proposal, referred to as the ''3-2-1 lottery," sent to all 30 teams' general managers.
The plan is meant to flatten draft odds, add more teams to the lottery and stop teams from intentionally losing during the regular season by decreasing the odds of landing the No. 1 pick for the bottom three teams.
Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) defends Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during Game 4 of their playoff series at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on April 27, 2026.Phoenix Suns vs Oklahoma City Thunder: Game 4 of NBA playoffs
1 / 8See Phoenix Suns take on Oklahoma City Thunder in NBA Playoffs Game 4Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) defends Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during Game 4 of their playoff series at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on April 27, 2026.Phoenix Suns vs Oklahoma City Thunder: Game 4 of NBA playoffs
Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) defends Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during Game 4 of their playoff series at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on April 27, 2026.Phoenix Suns vs Oklahoma City Thunder: Game 4 of NBA playoffs
"We should have a system where you should hate to lose," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a recent Competition Committee call, per Charania. "It shouldn't be a badge of honor. Losing should be uncomfortable."
Among the changes, the draft lottery would expand from 14 to 16 teams and there will be 37 lottery balls allocated to the 16. The bottom three in the league standings will have a 5.4% chance to get the No. 1 pick. Team's No. 4-10 would have an 8.1% chance. The 11th to 14th teams would have a 5.4% chance. Each conference's No. 9-10 teams receive two balls each and the losers of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in tournament games would receive one each.
.@ShamsCharania joined the show to speak on the NBA's anti-tanking reform π pic.twitter.com/ds6quoflCa
A "relegation zone" for the bottom three teams in the league standings would penalize those teams with fewer lottery balls for the No. 1 pick, to discourage tanking, a 5.4% chance for each.
In addition, no team could win the No. 1 pick in consecutive years or win three consecutive top-five picks, among other details. The plan would start in the 2027 draft, then a sunset provision or trial period ending in 2029 with re-evaluation among the board of governors.
The NBA's proposed lottery odds reform, visualized β¬οΈ pic.twitter.com/rXm7FuK4oP
Check out how several NBA media members reacted to the new anti-tanking draft proposal:
"I am all the way in on the draft relegation zone. It's time. The league has spent 20 years subsidizing the race to the bottom, and the case for cutting that subsidy is overwhelming,'' he said.
"The standard objection is that draft relegation makes it harder for the league's worst teams to climb out of a rebuild. I don't buy it. In recent years, plenty of organizations with functional front offices have fallen into the lottery and climbed back out in a hurry. The teams that don't climb back out β the ones that stay bad year after year β generally have the same problem, and it isn't bad luck. It's the people running the teams. Enabling horrible front offices by handing them higher odds would return the league to even more extreme levels of tanking."
"What I would like to know is what, if anything, the NBA plans to do to help organically bad teams improve in non-draft related ways. Free agency is dead and that's jacked up the price on veteran trades. How do you balance that reality with all of this moralizing over tanking?"
What I would like to know is what, if anything, the NBA plans to do to help organically bad teams improve in non-draft related ways.Free agency is dead and that's jacked up the price on veteran trades. How do you balance that reality with all of this moralizing over tanking? https://t.co/1FnfjnNMxf
"The biggest issue with the proposed changes are that they are far too punitive for the bad teams. It is going to be impossible for them to dig themselves out of the bottom. On the flip side, the system will reward some teams that are already in pretty good shape."
"The stakes of the 2026 draft are even higher for current bad teams when you factor in this reform. Still lots of time for the 27 and 28 drafts to evolve, but the lack of obvious forthcoming star power means this year might be your best real crack at one before tanking gets harder."
The stakes of the 2026 draft are even higher for current bad teams when you factor in this reform. Still lots of time for the 27 and 28 drafts to evolve, but the lack of obvious forthcoming star power means this year might be your best real crack at one before tanking gets harder https://t.co/kkHJZhMflU