Potential NBA Draft Lottery Changes Will Affect Nets' Rebuild

Brooklyn's rebuilding plan would almost certainly be altered if the NBA goes through with potential draft changes.

Dec 1, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin (8) high fives forward Noah Clowney (21) in front of Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) during the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Change could be imminent for the NBA and its rules regarding the draft lottery. In recent years, we have witnessed the effects of a relatively new system on the league's bottom feeders.

In 2019, the NBA enacted a rule in which the odds of obtaining the top overall pick would flatten. The bottom-three teams would each have a 14% chance at landing the No. 1 selection, a drastic change from the absolute worst team having a 25% chance.

Now, these modern rules could undergo yet another modification. ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the league is looking into rule changes that would alter how teams rebuild, designed to completely eliminate 'tanking.' The following rules were proposed at the board of governors meeting on Friday:

• "Limiting pick protections to either top four or 14 and higher, which would eliminate the problematic mid-lottery protections," Charania wrote.

• "No longer allowing a team to draft in the top four two years in a row."

• "Locking lottery positions after March 1."

This would make it harder for organizations that repeatedly underachieve to build a young core for the future. More specifically, the Brooklyn Nets' process would be drastically altered.

The Nets are relatively new to a full-fledged rebuild, which means if these plan are implemeneted in the coming years, their season could look and end a lot differently.

Brooklyn hasn't had a top-five pick in the NBA Draft since 2010, when the then-New Jersey Nets selected Derrick Favors. 2025 saw the organization acquire its first lottery pick since that time, bringing in Egor Demin, who is averaging nine points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists this season.

The Nets are projected to land to sixth overall pick as of this morning, but the new lottery system has shown that anything could happen. The Dallas Mavericks, who had a 1.8% chance of winning the 2025 lottery, ended up with the top selection and Cooper Flagg. The year before that, the Atlanta Hawks landed the No. 1 pick with a 3% chance.

The changes are not expected to come for the 2026 lottery, but if they come into effect and Brooklyn lands a top-four pick (which would bring in a generational prospect from a loaded class), 2027's plans to continue and build with top talent would be thrown off.

Right now, the Nets are 8-19, holding the 13th seed in the Eastern Conference. They aren't a competitive team at the moment, so Brooklyn is all in on the rebuild, evident in five first-round picks from this summer. The rules could even the playing field, but also make things harder for less fortunate franchises.