NBA Info - May 2026

[Deleterious]

This will take some value off of 1st round picks when traded.

This is going to be a cluster****.  

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The above proposed rules remain exactly as they were written when the NBA first made this 3-2-1 pitch in early May. But there is also a rule stating that no team can land first in two consecutive drafts, or in the top five in three consecutive drafts.

Front offices have been wondering: Does the streak attach to the team holding the pick on lottery night or to the original team whose record is attached to the pick?

The streak attaches to the original team, according to league sources. In other words, if Team A has Team B’s pick in the 2027 draft as a result of a trade and that Team B pick lands first, then Team B’s own pick in 2028 would not be eligible to land first, whether it’s retained by Team B or owned by a different team. But Team A, by virtue of selecting first using Team B’s pick in 2027, would still be eligible to pick first in 2028 with its own pick or any other team’s pick.