Report: NBA proposes change to draft lottery system
The NBA is proposing a more evenly weighted draft lottery system, according to Grantland's Zach Lowe.
The league submitted an official proposal at the competition committee meetings in Las Vegas that would give the 14 lottery teams "relatively similar" odds at getting the No. 1 overall pick, according to Lowe. Currently, the team with the worst record has a 25 percent chance of getting the top pick and the second-worst team has a 19.9 percent chance.
The proposal would give the four teams with the worst records the same odds of getting the the No. 1 selection -- 11 percent. The teams in the lottery with the best record would have a 2 percent chance at the top choice, better than in the current system.
The league could implement lottery reform as early as next season, though there are many hurdles to overcome before then. And it’s important to note that the league has kicked around several different proposals with varying weights; the 11 percent figure for the first teams is not universal among those proposals, sources say.
The NBA has been trying to find a fix for teams that tank for better odds in the lottery. As Lowe notes, before this proposal, the Wheel Idea, proposed by Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren, was on the table.
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