The NBA has changed its draft lottery. Sam Presti wants the league to keep working.
Oklahoma City's general manager called the new 3-2-1 system a good short-term answer to tanking, while arguing that the long-term format should rely less on luck and not be tied entirely to team record.
The Board of Governors approved the reform by a 29-1 vote. Lottery teams will receive one, two or three balls, each worth a 2.7% chance at the No. 1 pick. The three worst teams lose one ball, creating the league's first direct lottery penalty for finishing at the bottom.
Presti acknowledged the tension behind the change. Teams that need help must be able to reach the best young players, and he said most of the league depends on the draft to build a roster that can last.
There is another side. Deliberately positioning for higher picks can take away from games and damage the NBA's product. Presti supported commissioner Adam Silver's case for addressing that problem.
The Thunder executive still sees drawbacks in a more luck-driven lottery. If a genuinely weak team repeatedly misses on talent, reduced odds can make its path back to competitiveness even harder.
What Presti likes most is the three-year sunset provision. The system will be used for the 2027, 2028 and 2029 drafts, then owners must decide what follows.
That trial period leaves room for another reform. Presti hopes the league eventually builds a more predictable method that separates draft order from record without relying so heavily on chance.
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