Report: NBA’s lottery-reform proposal would take effect in 2019

The NBA is again pursuing lottery reform, details of the latest proposal trickling out.

Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today:

The three highest lottery seeds would each be allocated 14% odds to win the lottery, compared to the 25%, 19.9% and 15.6% for those three teams in the current lottery system, which has been in place since 2005. The odds for the remaining lottery would decrease smoothly, with approximately a 1%-2% difference between lottery teams.

The new system would begin with the 2019 draft, giving teams time to prepare and plan.

Owners still need to approve this measure, which is far from a given.

Though there was some talk of the new rules being implemented for the 2018 draft, which includes the coveted Nets pick the Celtics traded to the Cavaliers, that always seemed unlikely. Teams generally don’t like the rules changing on the fly.

This might come a bit too close. Potential 2019 lottery picks have already been traded. Teams are definitely already mapping out multi-year plans that include 2018-19.

There’s still time to modify the proposal, and perhaps one that takes effect even further into the future would be more popular. But if this passes, it could send a couple teams in a new direction.