How new NBA lottery rules could impact this season

This NBA season, for the first time, teams can't win by losing. After a tanktastic 2025-26 campaign, the league has instituted a new draft lottery setup with several new features, including: Flat lottery odds for the teams with the fourth- through 10th-worst records A "relegation zone" in which the three worst teams get worse odds of landing a top pick A lottery that draws each of the first 16 picks, rather than just the first four from the old system This new setup will invariably produce plenty of ripple effects as teams respond to new incentives with new behaviors.