The NBA tips off Tuesday and I can’t stop thinking about the draft in June.
Before I get to my NBA Draft Lottery thoughts, be sure to check out the latest edition of Setting The Pick and the most recent episode of Basetball Island where the crew gives out their favourite eight futures on the season.
Last season we were witness to levels of tanking that had never been seen before which led to the Utah Jazz being fined $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for “overt tanking.”
Tanking in North American sports is a complicated conversation.
On one hand, teams planning for the future are able to position themselves to acquire assists that’ll give the organization the best opportunity possible to improve.
On the other, that “plan” is usually sitting your better players and putting out a bad product on the court, which often comes in front of the fans in your city that pay a lot of money to watch the games.
So with tanking in the NBA becoming a larger issue the league has addressed it by changing the Draft Lottery.
Gone are the days of the worst team in the league having the best odds to win the lottery.
Now, all teams that failed to reach the playoffs or play-in tournament will receive three lottery balls, except the three teams with the worst overall records will be considered “draft relegated” and lose one ball, only receiving two.
With that in mind, how will teams out of playoff contention handle late-season games?
The incentive now is to win, and the win totals on FanDuel reflect that.
Last season, the Utah Jazz had the lowest win total on FanDuel at 18.5, going over by 3.5 wins. Meanwhile the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards both entered the season with totals of 20.5 both going under.
| Team | 2025-26 Win Total | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Utah Jazz | 18.5 | 20-62 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 20.5 | 20-62 |
| Washington Wizards | 20.5 | 17-65 |
This season, no teams on FanDuel enter the season with a win total of below 20 as the Sacramento Kings enter with the lowest number at 20.5.
The Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks round out the bottom three coming in both at 25.5 wins.
Meanwhile at the top of the board, after five teams entered last season with a win total of 52.5 or higher, only two enter 2026 with one.
| Team | 2026-2027 Win Total |
|---|---|
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 61.5 |
| San Antonino Spurs | 60.5 |
How do you think the new NBA Draft Lottery rules will affect regular season win totals?
Let us know below and you might have your comment featured on the next episode of Basketball Island.