The NBA’s Board of Governors have voted to approve new anti-tanking rules that will take effect next season for the 2027 draft.

The draft lottery will expand from 14 to 16 teams along with flattened odds, and a relegation zone where the bottom three teams get penalized with decreased odds to land the No. 1 overall pick.

Adam Silver prioritized taking significant measures after the NBA received widespread criticism for the number of teams who were blatantly attempting to lose games to improve their lottery position ahead of the anticipated 2026 draft.

The actual drawing of the 2027 draft order is expected to be televised live as it was in the 1980s before the pingpong format.

The new rules are only assured to be in place for 2027, 2028 and 2029, as the league may move to a draft credit system as early as 2030. Under the concept, each franchise would receive an equal allotment of draft credits, 100 for simplicity’s sake, rather than traditional first- and second-round picks. Teams would then bid those credits in an auction format, starting with the No. 1 overall selection and proceeding down the board.