NBA anti-tanking rules, explained: What to know about Adam Silver's proposed reform for 3-2-1 draft lottery

Here are the details of Silver's proposal.

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NBA draft lottery reform

Silver is proposing a "3-2-1" lottery system, which refers to the number of lottery balls teams would have.

Teams who finish in the 4-10 range -- the team with the fourth-worst record through the team with the 10th-worst record -- would receive the most lottery balls, with three. The three teams with the worst records would only receive two lottery balls, a component aimed at curbing tanking.

The lottery would include six additional teams, rather than the current four. No. 9 and No. 10 seeds in the Play-In Tournament would receive two lottery balls, the same number as the teams with the three worst records, while the losers of the Play-In Tournament games between the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds would each receive one lottery ball.

The lottery would be drawn for each of the top 16 picks, rather than just the top four picks as it is now. A team with the worst record could theoretically fall as far as the No. 12 pick under the new system.

The system would also prevent teams from winning the No. 1 pick in consecutive years and from picking in the top five in three consecutive years. That means the Spurs, who selected Victor Wembanyama in 2023 and Stephon Castle in 2024, would not have been allowed to land a top-five pick and select Dylan Harper in 2025. They wouldn't be the only ones:

The new format, which would come with a clause to revisit anti-tanking rules after the 2029 draft, can be approved by owners on May 28.

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What is tanking in the NBA?

Tanking refers to the steps taken to intentionally lose in order to secure a better chance at a high draft pick.

By all accounts, tanking does not refer to the players on the court actually trying to lose games. Players have far too much on the line to go out and make an effort to lose, especially considering the players who actually see the court on tanking teams are often fighting for their own NBA future.

Instead, tanking is more commonly an effort by the front office to weaken the active roster to the point that the team simply isn't good enough to win many games. That can include claiming players are injured and sitting them out of games, or trading away so many pieces that only young and inexperienced players remain.

The Utah Jazz came under fire during the regular season when they sat stars Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the fourth quarter of multiple games in which they had a lead. Markkanen and Jackson were both later shut down for the season, with the franchise citing injuries.