NBA Says Grizzlies' 2027 Jazz Pick Gains Top-5 Protection Under 3-2-1 Lottery Reform
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 29
NBA Says Grizzlies' 2027 Jazz Pick Gains Top-5 Protection Under 3-2-1 Lottery Reform
6 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 29
Memphis cannot receive a top-five 2027 pick from Utah because the new rule follows the pick itself, and the Jazz already landed in the top five in 2025 and 2026.
NBA officials said they refused to grandfather traded picks, arguing that would give holders like the Grizzlies upside from other teams' restrictions without sharing the downside and make those assets artificially more valuable.
The league also rejected tying restrictions to teams rather than picks, saying clubs could evade the rule through prearranged trades or post-draft swaps that would create market inefficiencies.
Under the approved 3-2-1 system, second-round picks 31 through 46 will now be set in reverse lottery order to offset first-round luck and reduce incentives to tank for the 31st pick.
Officials said tanking had become too hard to police through investigations or fines alone, so the reform aims to remove losing incentives while preserving Adam Silver's broader penalty powers as a backstop.
How will the new 'pick-travels' rule completely reshape the NBA's trade market?
Could the NBA's war on tanking accidentally create a permanent league underclass?
With top picks harder to get, are smart trades now the only path to a title?