"The new system is being termed the '3-2-1' lottery. In it, should its adoption come to pass, some teams will get three ping-pong balls, some will get two, and others will get one."
"The lottery will be expanded from 14 to 16 teams, meaning that not only will every non-playoff team get a chance, both conferences' eighth playoff seeds will too."
"The lottery will determine all draft positions, not just the top-four, though the worst three teams will be protected from dropping further than 12th."
"Teams will not be allowed to pick first in back-to-back drafts, nor make three top-five picks in a row."
The NBA is facing a crisis of legitimacy due to widespread tanking, particularly in the 2026 season. Teams are intentionally losing games to improve their draft lottery odds. To combat this, the league is proposing a new '3-2-1' lottery system, which will expand the lottery from 14 to 16 teams and change how teams receive ping-pong balls. The new system aims to prevent teams from picking first in consecutive drafts and to protect the worst teams from dropping below the 12th pick.
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