Grizzlies rumors: The reason Memphis voted against new lottery reform

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Recently, the Memphis Grizzlies learned that they would be picking third overall in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft. The news comes in what will be the last draft lottery in the current format, as the NBA is set to introduce a wide array of changes moving forward, including flattening the odds, limiting the number of consecutive years that a team can get a top pick, and more.

Now, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania revealed why the Memphis ownership was against the proposed changes, which ultimately were passed on Thursday.

“Sources said the Grizzlies voted against the new lottery reform solely because of the new rule disallowing a team from picking top 5 in 3 consecutive years,” reported Charania on X, formerly Twitter, noting that “…the Grizzlies have the more favorable 2027 first-rounder of Cleveland, Minnesota and Utah, and because the Jazz again have a top-5 pick this year, their first in 2027 cannot be in the top-5 under new rules.”

As Charania noted, the top-five pick rule applies to whichever team originally held the pick, regardless of where it might end up via trade, meaning that the Jazz cannot have another top-five pick next year, as this year marks their third straight season with the distinction.

Thus, the Grizzlies will not be able to get into the top five with that selection next year, and it would appear unlikely that either the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Cleveland Cavaliers will be bad enough to get into that spot next season, although, as per the new rules, teams with the worst records will actually be penalized moving forward.

Ultimately, the Grizzlies were outvoted, and they won’t be able to count on the Jazz pick being any higher than sixth next year.

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