NBA Owners to Vote on Anti-Tanking Reform May 28

The NBA is done talking about tanking. They are voting on it. The Board of Governors will cast their ballots on May 28 to fundamentally change how the draft lottery works — and all three proposals on the table would bring playoff teams into the lottery pool for the first time.

The three concepts: an 18-team lottery with equal odds for the bottom 10, a 22-team lottery based on 2-year records, and an 18-team "5x5" system where the bottom five teams share equal odds with a floor of the 10th pick. Commissioner Adam Silver said the quiet part out loud: "We are going to fix it. It has integrity implications for the league."

Mark Cuban already pushed back, saying teams will "tank more" under some proposals. But the league seems locked in. If any of these pass, the days of resting stars and chasing ping-pong balls could be numbered. The vote happens during the Conference Finals — fitting timing for a league trying to make every game matter.