The NBA board of governors approved a new draft lottery system on Thursday by a 29-1 vote. The changes, known as the 3-2-1 model, will take effect with next year's draft. The reform aims to reduce incentives for teams to lose games intentionally.
The new rules allocate 37 lottery balls among 16 teams. The three worst teams receive two balls each, the next seven non-playoff teams get three, the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds receive two, and play-in losers get one. All 16 lottery picks will be drawn, with the three worst teams unable to fall below No. 12. Teams cannot select No. 1 in consecutive drafts or land in the top five of three straight drafts, rules that apply retroactively from the 2025 draft.
