Overview
- The Board of Governors approved the 3-2-1 plan by a 29-1 vote on May 28, with the Memphis Grizzlies the lone dissenting club.
- The lottery expands from 14 to 16 teams and will draw all top-16 spots, assigning teams one, two, or three lottery balls and creating a relegation zone that limits the three worst teams to a floor of 12th overall.
- New pick limits bar any team’s own pick from being No. 1 in consecutive years or a top-five pick in three straight years, and those limits are being applied retroactively to 2025 and 2026 where relevant.
- Commissioner Adam Silver and the league office gain broader authority to punish suspected tanking with penalties that include reduced lottery odds, altered draft positions, forfeiture of picks, and fines reported up to $10 million.
- League officials and front offices say the change will reshape trade values, rebuilding strategy, and late‑season incentives by boosting the value of middling/play‑in positioning while making deep bottom rebuilds harder to rely on during the three‑year trial.