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Ivory CoastNew NBA Lottery Rules Set to Shake Up the 2026 to 2027 Season
The NBA is introducing new draft lottery rules to stop teams from tanking, which will change how the 2026 to 2027 season looks on the court.
The End of Tanking as We Know It
The NBA is finally fighting back against tanking. This season, teams can no longer win by losing. The league is rolling out a new draft lottery system to stop teams from trying to lose on purpose.
Under the new rules, teams with the fourth to tenth worst records will get flat lottery odds. The three worst teams will enter a relegation zone, which actually gives them worse odds of getting a top pick. Plus, the lottery will now draw the first 16 picks instead of just the first four.
Expect Fewer Blowouts on the Court
These changes should make games much more competitive. Last season, a record 281 games ended with a margin of at least 20 points. That was 22 percent of all games played.
The blowout rate always spiked late in the year as bad teams stopped trying. From February to the end of the season, a third of the games involving the worst teams were blowouts. Now that the worst teams have to avoid the relegation zone, they have a real reason to win. This should keep games closer, and it might make the top teams look a bit less dominant.
A Much Tighter Race for the Playoffs
We should also see a much more crowded middle of the standings. Last year, 19 teams finished with winning records, but many of them only did so by beating up on teams that were tanking.
For example, the Trail Blazers won just 41 percent of their games against competitive teams, but went 16-2 against the bottom six teams to finish 42-40. The 76ers went 17-1 against the worst teams to finish 45-37. Without these easy wins, the gap between the top and bottom will shrink. Last year, the Warriors were the only team to finish with between 32 and 43 wins. This year, expect many more teams to end up in that middle ground.
No More Anonymous Rosters in April
Fans can also expect to see actual NBA players on the court in April. In the past, tanking teams would bench their stars and play unknown players to secure losses.
Last April, Utah and Memphis had seven players on ten day contracts averaging over 30 minutes a game, including Bez Mbeng and Kennedy Chandler. The Pacers even had a two-way player, Ethan Thompson, leading them in minutes. These roster tricks should disappear now that losing on purpose does not guarantee a top draft pick.
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