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New punitive plan; pick penalties
New punitive measures are the centerpiece of the latest anti-tanking push, with the NBA weighing penalties that could include taking away or moving a first-round pick as a sanction.
“The NBA presented three comprehensive anti-tanking concepts to its board of governors Wednesday, with modifications expected to each before a formal vote in May.”
The ideas were presented to the Board of Governors alongside three draft-lottery concepts and are not yet final, with modifications expected before a formal vote in May.
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Commissioner Adam Silver has said, 'We are going to fix it, full stop,' acknowledging the need to curb incentives that encourage teams to lose games.
18-team lottery mechanics
Proposal No. 1 would expand the lottery to 18 teams: the bottom 10 that miss the play-in tournament and the eight that qualify for it would all enter the lottery.
Each of the bottom 10 would have an equal 8% chance at the top pick, while the remaining 20% would be split among the eight play-in teams in descending order from 11th through 18th.
All 18 spots would be drawn as part of the lottery in that format.
Two-year weighting; win floors
Proposal No. 2 would push the pool to 22 teams: the bottom 10 that miss the play-in, the eight that qualify for it, and the four playoff teams that lose in the first round would all be included, with lotteries weighted by a two-year record.
“In the second proposal, 22 teams -- the bottom 10 teams that miss the play-in tournament, the eight that qualify for it and the four playoff teams that lose in the first round -- will all be included in the lottery, and will be ranked according to their record across two seasons.”
A minimum win-floor per season would apply, so a team that fails to meet the floor in one year cannot excessively exploit weaker results; for example, a 14-68 season could count as a 20- or 25-win equivalent for lottery purposes depending on the floor.
The top four picks would still be drawn as today, but the overall ranking would reflect two seasons of performance.
Five-by-five top-five lottery
Proposal No. 3 is the “five-by-five” model: the same 18-team pool as in the first concept, but the bottom five teams would all have identical odds for the top five picks, with a separate lottery for those top five.
If the five worst teams fail to land within the top five, a second drawing ensures they cannot fall lower than 10th; after the top five are chosen, a second lottery determines the remaining order for the other 13 picks.
