NBA eyes redrafting lottery rules to tackle tanking

The NBA wants to make it harder for other teams to replicate “The Process.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has not been shy about his disdain for franchises tanking and trying to collect high draft picks, and he has a plan to deincentivize the practice. The league is working on draft reform legislation that could be in place before the 2019 draft, ESPN reported Thursday.

The two key components of the reform would be flattening the odds for teams in the lottery, and making it possible for teams to move further up on lottery night. As it currently stands, the team that finishes with the worst record has a 25 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick and can’t fall further than fourth.

In the NBA’s proposed plan, teams could rise (or fall) up to four spots in the draft, instead of three as in the current system. It also would give the three worst teams the same odds to earn the No. 1 pick, and reduce the gap in the odds for a team outside the top three to earn the top choice.

Several teams have taken measures to tank in recent seasons, including resting or reducing the minutes of veteran players to ensure the losses pile up. The 76ers went to extreme measures with this idea, finishing with one of the four worst records in the NBA in each of the past four seasons.

The NBA Competition Committee is expected to send a formal proposal to the board of governors next week, ESPN reported.

If the changes do not affect the 2018 draft, which the report suggests, it would be good news for the Knicks. If the Knicks fulfill Carmelo Anthony’s trade request, they could be one of the worst teams in the league and “competing” for one of the top picks in the draft.

Both the Knicks and Nets currently own their firstround picks in the 2019 draft.