Tim Bontemps: Adam Silver initially failed more than a decade ago after becoming commissioner to enact lottery changes before succeeding in flattening the lottery odds ahead of the 2019 draft. That decision has failed in the eyes of sources around the league. A decade ago, four or five teams were leaning into the act of tanking. Now we are annually seeing eight to 10 teams shutting things down after the All-Star break to try to improve their lottery chances and putting out an increasingly poor product. In private conversations, no one — denizens of NBA headquarters, fans or members of any of the 30 teams — is happy with the current setup. That’s why Silver has repeatedly said there are extensive changes coming to the lottery system ahead of 2026-27.
