How the NBA Draft Lottery changes could benefit Sacramento

The proposed overhaul of the NBA Draft Lottery could dramatically reshape how teams approach the regular season, and according to Sactown Sports’ Matt George, that’s exactly why it could benefit a team like the Sacramento Kings.

Under the league’s reported “3-2-1” model, the NBA Draft Lottery would no longer heavily reward the league’s worst teams. Instead, it would shift the incentive structure toward competitiveness, giving teams just outside the playoff picture the best odds while penalizing the bottom three teams.

For George, that philosophical shift is long overdue.

“I think the NBA, they’re addressing tanking, but they’re fixing the middle,” George explained on his latest podcast. “Now, teams are compelled to play all 82 games. Teams are compelled, even if they’re out of the playoff mix, to still fight for their lives.”

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That change could eliminate the late-season tanking that has frustrated fans and players alike. Rather than encouraging teams to lose to improve their odds in the NBA Draft Lottery, the new system would reward those who continue to compete.

George emphasized how that impacts the viewing experience: “It makes games more compelling, makes games more interesting. From a fan standpoint, that conversation goes away.”

For a team like Sacramento — coming off a 22-60 season but still developing a young core — the new structure could be especially beneficial. Instead of choosing between development and draft positioning, the Kings could prioritize both.

“In this case of the Sacramento Kings, focus on the development. Let that group just play together, try and win as many games as possible, even if they miss the playoffs,” George said. “That’s okay, because they still have as good of odds as anybody to get the number one overall pick.”

That balance is the key difference. In the current system, winning late in the season can hurt lottery odds. In the proposed NBA Draft Lottery, it could actually help — or at least not penalize — teams for competing.

There is still risk involved. As George noted, teams could fall into the middle tier and miss out on top odds altogether: “Maybe they end up at seven, eight, or nine or 10, and they don’t get as good of odds.”

But that uncertainty is part of the appeal. Instead of incentivizing losing, the league would lean into what George called “the chaotic randomness of the NBA Draft Lottery.”

And for the Kings — a franchise trying to build sustainably — that might be exactly the kind of change they need.

Subscribe to The Matt George Podcast on Sactown Sports

Subscribe to The Matt George Podcast on Apple & Spotify. You can also watch all episodes of The Matt George Podcast on the Sactown Sports YouTube page & SactownSports.com.

You can also hear Matt on Sactown Sports alongside Kayla Anderson on The Matt & Kayla Show, airing weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT.

More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports

• NBA Draft Lessons: Lottery luck doesn’t guarantee success
• Zach LaVine’s $49M decision: Why opting out isn’t off the table
• What is the best path forward for DeMar DeRozan & Sacramento?
• Jerry Reynolds: Keaton Wagler could be a “sleeper” in upcoming NBA Draft

Upcoming Sacramento Kings & NBA Offseason Schedule

• Sunday, May 10th – NBA Draft Lottery
• Thursday, June 4th– NBA Finals begin
• Thursday, June 25th – NBA Draft (Round 1)
• Friday, June 26th – NBA Draft (Round 2)
• Tuesday, June 30th – NBA Free Agency negotiation period begins (3 PM PT)
• Thursday, July 9th – NBA Las Vegas Summer League begins
• Monday, July 13th – Free Agency moratorium ends / signings can become official

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