The NBA Board of Governors has approved the new “3-2-1” draft lottery system for the 2027 NBA Draft and onward. The system will expand the draft lottery to 16 teams from the current 14, give each participant 3, 2, or 1 ping pong balls in the lottery hopper, and draw randomly for the first 16 picks of the NBA Draft each year, up from the current four.
Shams Charania of ESPN has reported that the reform passed by a 29-1 vote, with the Memphis Grizzlies being the lone dissenter.
The league has issued
a detailed press release explaining the system and a breakdown of the odds. You can find our own rationale behind the changes in essays here and here, plus the change they should have made and didn’t in this discussion.
Do you like the move? Not so much? Share in the comments below.
