The NBA officially approved its brand-new “3-2-1” draft lottery system on Thursday, and it could completely change how teams rebuild moving forward. Commissioner Adam Silver has spent months pushing the idea as the league’s answer to tanking — and now it’s finally happening.
Under the updated format, the NBA is shaking up the lottery odds for the league’s worst teams. Instead of rewarding the bottom three teams with the best shot at the No. 1 pick, the new system lowers their chances in an effort to stop franchises from intentionally losing games late in the season.
But that’s only part of the overhaul.
Here are some of the biggest changes:
- Play-in tournament losers are now included in the lottery
- Teams can’t pick in the top five for three straight years
- No franchise can land the No. 1 overall pick in back-to-back drafts
- Adam Silver now has more power to punish teams accused of tanking, including fines and possible draft-order changes
Even with concerns around the new rules, the proposal passed in a massive 29-1 vote.
The only team that voted against it? The Memphis Grizzlies.
And honestly, their reason makes a lot of sense.
Earlier this year, Memphis traded star big man Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz after another frustrating, injury-filled season tied to the Ja Morant era. The deal brought back multiple players and several draft picks, including two valuable first-rounders in the 2027 draft.
One of those picks involved Utah — and that’s where things suddenly got messy.
Because the Jazz already picked in the top five in 2025 and are expected to pick near the top again this year, the new rules now block Utah’s 2027 first-round pick from landing inside the top five. That matters because Memphis owns the rights to that selection if it becomes the most favorable pick available.
In simple terms:
The Grizzlies traded away a franchise cornerstone partly for a lottery pick that now has a ceiling attached to it.
That’s a brutal twist.
When Memphis made the trade, the expectation was clear: Utah’s struggles could eventually turn into a premium lottery selection. Now, only a few months later, the NBA has changed the rules and effectively reduced the value of that asset.
And for a rebuilding team like Memphis, that hurts even more.
The franchise is already entering an uncertain future after moving on from Jackson Jr., while Ja Morant’s long-term value around the league continues to dip. Memphis likely viewed the draft as its best path back to contention.
Now the road just became far more complicated.
The situation also highlights one of the biggest criticisms surrounding the new lottery system: teams made major roster decisions under one set of rules, only for the league to dramatically change those rules shortly afterward.
Whether fans love or hate the anti-tanking overhaul, one thing is already clear — the Grizzlies believe they got caught on the wrong side of it.
And after looking at the details, it’s easy to see why.
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