The NBA's Board of Governors Pass New NBA Draft Legislation That May Set Up For Even More Tanking
Alright, so this seemed inevitable when it was brought up just about 3 weeks ago. The NBA’s Board of Governors voted to pass legislation on draft lottery reform. The main thing here is the difference in odds. Here’s a graphic from ESPN to show you what the new odds will look like:
Pretty significant as now the top-3 teams will have the same odds to get the No. 1 overall pick. I blogged about this before and I don’t know exactly how I feel about this. On one side the way the reform reads it will set up for even more tanking. Throw in the fact now you just have to be in the top-3 to have the same odds for the No. 1 pick, the other key here is the floor of where you can pick. For instance now the worst team in the league can’t pick lower than No. 4. The reform reads that you can drop a spot lower, from No. 4 to No. 5. That means getting one of the worst 3 records becomes even more important. If you are eliminated from playoff contention, teams can tank even harder during the last month of the season.
On the other side, the two pros I see from this is teams that are sort of middling have a better chance now of making the jump and more value in picks, meaning potential for more trades. A first round draft pick for these guys are now that much more valuable and we’ve seen teams jump at the chance for a top-5 pick. Considering this new reform takes place in 2019, that means the Nets 2018 pick that the Cavs currently have just skyrocketed in value, especially when you look at the top of the 2018 prospect list.
I’ll be curious to see how tanking goes next season, but it’s worth noting the board also passed a rule giving Silver the ability to fine teams for resting healthy players.