In the wake of a gambling scandal that has rocked the league, the NBA is considering draft reforms as a way to prevent teams from tanking. One of the things the league is considering is changing the pick protection in trades, to protection in the top four or top 14, instead of protection in the middle of the lottery. Teams have regularly tried to lose games to ensure they keep a pick that falls somewhere between a top-four and a lottery-protected pick.
The NBA has also considered banning teams from appearing in the top four for two years in a row. This is considered a way to keep teams from tanking for long periods of time, while encouraging them to play to win games the year after a top-four selection.
Locking lottery positions as of March 1 was also considered. The idea here is to prevent teams from being able to draft key players during the last month and a half of the season.
The NBA has made changes to its injury reporting this past week. In addition, the league is working with gaming partners to evaluate which prop bets are appropriate to offer.
In recent years, the NBA has fined teams for outright tanking by incumbent star players. The league and the NBPA have also agreed to game limits on postseason awards, as well as restrictions around when teams can rest star players in games.
Any draft reform would have to be approved by a vote of the NBA’s Board of Governors. The NBA last reformed the Draft Lottery in 2019, when they flattened the lottery odds for the worst three teams and made the fourth pick part of the lottery process.
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