NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Sends Message About Lottery Proposal
Since 1985, the NBA has had a lottery system for its draft to prevent teams from chasing the first pick, also known as "tanking." However, that hasn't stopped struggling organizations from prioritizing draft positioning over wins.
For example, the Philadelphia 76ers won under 20 games each season from 2013 to 2016 and 28 in 2016-17. They landed Kansas center Joel Embiid No. 3 overall in 2014, Duke center Jahlil Okafor No. 3 in 2015, LSU forward Ben Simmons No. 1 overall in 2016, and Washington guard Markelle Fultz No. 1 overall in 2017.
The 76ers' tanking inspired the NBA to flatten the odds in 2019, giving the worst three teams a 14% chance of winning the lottery. However, that still hasn't stopped tanking, as eight squads had under 30 wins this year.
On Tuesday, the NBA sent a new proposal to its 30 general managers where the bottom-three teams are penalized with a lower chance of receiving the No. 1 pick, per ESPN's Shams Charania. Commissioner Adam Silver commented on the proposal during a Competition Committee call, per Charania.
"We should have a system where you should hate to lose," he said. "It shouldn't be a badge of honor. Losing should be uncomfortable."
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said on a recent Competition Committee call, according to sources: "We should have a system where you should hate to lose. It shouldn't be a badge of honor. Losing should be uncomfortable."
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 28, 2026
The new change is not as drastic as relegation to a lower… https://t.co/YU9TCOL3vn
New Proposal Could Be Problematic For Struggling Teams
This rule change would undoubtedly prevent teams from chasing the worst record, as it would provide no incentive to do so. Under the current system, the worst team is guaranteed a top-five pick, the second-worst team a top-six pick, and so on for the bottom-nine squads. The remaining five teams could all fall as low as No. 14.
But under this new "3-2-1" proposal, the bottom-three teams could fall as low as the No. 12 pick while the other lottery teams could fall as far as No. 16, per Charania. While that could increase the level of competition in the regular season, it would also be harder for struggling organizations to add the best talent. Although tanking is an ugly process, it has helped teams at the bottom improve.
For example, the 76ers have had winning records in each season since drafting Fultz except 2024-25, despite Embiid being the only pick of that aforementioned group to pan out long-term. Their 24-win campaign last year helped them land Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe No. 3 overall, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting this season, per NBC Sports. It's no coincidence that they finished 45-37 and made the 2026 playoffs.
If the "3-2-1" proposal gets passed, it could replace the NBA's current problems with new ones.
Related: How Does the NBA Draft Lottery Work? A Look at The Odds for the No. 1 Pick
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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 4:32 PM.