NBA Board of Governors expected to pass lottery reform proposal Wednesday
The NBA Board of Governors is set to meet on Wednesday, and the most pressing topic on its agenda will be a proposal to reform the league's draft lottery structure.
The proposal, aimed at disincentivizing teams from intentional self-sabotage, is an attempt to even out the odds of winning the lottery among non-playoff teams.
It's a prospect that's gained a ton of traction in recent months, as executives around the league have gaped in horror at the ongoing, multi-year tank job the Philadelphia 76ers have built their organizational ethos around.
Not surprisingly, the Sixers plan to vote against reform, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. Their long-view, ground-floor rebuild is still in its infancy stages, and largely contingent on the benefits afforded the league's worst teams under the present system.
Somewhat more surprising is that the Oklahoma City Thunder - a team that shouldn't factor into the lottery for at least the next two drafts - are also expected to vote against the proposal, as reported by Wojnarowski and confirmed by Grantland's Zach Lowe.
At a glance, the Thunder appear to be planning for a potential future devoid of superstar, franchise player, and reigning MVP Kevin Durant, who's slated to become an unrestricted free agent in 2016.
As a small market that's not eminently attractive to marquee free agents, Oklahoma City would rely on the draft in order to rebuild itself as a title contender in the event that Durant bolts (or any other unforeseen circumstance dismantles the team's current core). It's how the Thunder got to where they are in the first place, after all.
In any event, the protestations of the Sixers and Thunder aren't expected to matter. As Wojnarowski and Lowe point out, only 23 of 30 votes are required to pass the amendment, and apart from those two teams, everyone appears to be on board.
We'll know for sure come Wednesday.