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Is the NBA Draft Lottery Rigged?

Is the NBA Draft Lottery Rigged?

  • Yes, Always

    Votes: 2 4.9%

  • Yes, Sometimes

    Votes: 15 36.6%

  • No, But Was Rigged Previously

    Votes: 9 22.0%

  • No, Has Never Been Rigged

    Votes: 15 36.6%
  • Total voters
    41
I believe that it *could* occasionally be rigged, but probably just the Ewing draft if any. It is damn near impossible for me to believe that the same organization that ripped away a successful franchise from one of the larger markets in the league - as the NBA did with Seattle - is the same one that actively cares about New Orleans, Cleveland, San Antonio, and Minnesota so much that it is willing to risk everything to help them.
 
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A multi-billion dollar entertainment business owned and managed by billionaires who share in the collective success of the league. And there are financial advantages to having specific players end up in specific markets. So there is a motive.
The NBA controls the lottery process. Whether it is envelopes, pingpong balls, or computer-generated number sequences, the lottery process is designed, operated, inspected and audited by the NBA providing the means and opportunity.

Too much money at stake to let chance play a part.
 
mellow said:
A multi-billion dollar entertainment business owned and managed by billionaires who share in the collective success of the league. And there are financial advantages to having specific players end up in specific markets. So there is a motive.
The NBA controls the lottery process. Whether it is envelopes, pingpong balls, or computer-generated number sequences, the lottery process is designed, operated, inspected and audited by the NBA providing the means and opportunity.

Too much money at stake to let chance play a part.
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So teams know it's rigged and just say nothing as they lose out? Makes no sense.
 
If we're talking about this year's draft, I wouldn't expect that the league cares where Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe or Tre Johnson end up. If they care about where a player goes, it will be Cooper Flagg, and it will be either an effort to get him to a big TV market so they can feature him in national game broadcasts, or get him to a franchise where they are confident that he can be successful (or both).

I wouldn't underestimate how significant Flagg is for the league as a TV product. He's the clear-cut #1 prospect, and he's the first white American elite prospect in I don't know how long. If the league thinks he can become "must-watch TV" for the casual fan, I could see them being tempted to tamper with where he goes.

The other thing I'd predict the league would be concerned about is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are positioned to dominate the Western Conference for the next several years. Does the league want the Thunder to get another lottery pick from Philadelphia to add to their arsenal, or will the league make sure that the Sixers, who just had a dreadful season, keep their pick one way or another?

Then I guess the last question would be whether the situation in Dallas is so bad that the league has to give them a top-4 pick to get their fans to rekindle some hope for the future. But I'd kind of doubt that.
 
jom2003 said:
Also wondering: what was the probability of Cavs winning 3 lotteries in a row from 2012 to 2014?
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It was 2011 (Kyrie) right after Lebron left and fans were burning jerseys. Then it was 2013 (Bennett) and 2014 (Wiggins). But yeah.
 
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Saint Cy of JFC said:
So the lottery rig priority order goes:

1. Keep stars in their hometown
2. Get Cleveland and Minnesota as many 1st as possible
3. Big markets
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One more: Is the franchise being sold to a new owner with a lottery pick being thrown in to sweeten the deal? Examples: Pels on the market, get Anthony Davis; Bucks on the market, get Jabari Parker; Hornets on the market, get Brandon Miller; Etc. In this case, the league can leverage a lottery pick to close a successful deal and protect their franchises' valuations.
 
jom2003 said:
Also wondering: what was the probability of Cavs winning 3 lotteries in a row from 2012 to 2014?
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Also, notice that the Lakers moved up to #2 in the draft three straight times that they were in the lottery: 2015 (D'Angelo Russell), 2016 (Brandon Ingram) and 2017 (Lonzo Ball). The Lakers could have had Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
 
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Ferguson_Mellochill said:
One more: Is the franchise being sold to a new owner with a lottery pick being thrown in to sweeten the deal? Examples: Pels on the market, get Anthony Davis; Bucks on the market, get Jabari Parker; Hornets on the market, get Brandon Miller; Etc. In this case, the league can leverage a lottery pick to close a successful deal and protect their franchises' valuations.
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That makes a bit more sense to me as a higher ticket sale does benefit all owners
 
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