NBA lottery reform proposals presented to owners, Bulls coach Billy Donovan says

On Friday in Oklahoma City, Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan said the NBA presented three anti-tanking proposals to the Board of Governors that would change the lottery structure — a development Donovan called consequential but beyond his remit.

Donovan told reporters the league is exploring plans to expand the number of teams in the draft lottery and to alter odds to discourage intentional losing, though he declined to endorse any specific model. "I saw more teams possibly in the lottery and they are trying to get teams to compete to the best of their ability," Donovan said, adding that front-office incentives and the plight of genuinely rebuilding clubs will be part of the discussion.

According to reports, the options include: an 18-team lottery with flattened odds where the bottom 10 clubs each carry an 8% chance at the top pick and the remaining 20% is distributed among picks 11–18; a 22-team lottery using a two-year record with minimum win floors that would slot teams that fall short; and an 18-team, "five-by-five" model in which the bottom five teams share equal odds for No. 1 and carry a floor at 10, with a separate drawing for teams that fall out of the top five.

Donovan also confirmed the Bulls shut down guards Jaden Ivey (knee) and big Jalen Smith (calf) for the remainder of the regular season, saying there isn’t sufficient time to complete rehab and ramp up before the final games. With Nick Richards nicked up from a prior game, Donovan started Matas Buzelis, Isaac Okoro and Guerschon Yabusele in the frontcourt against Oklahoma City.

The league’s proposals will be broken down and debated by owners in the coming weeks; no final decision has been announced. The Bulls have 10 regular-season games remaining, and Ivey and Smith are out for the season while the club awaits further direction from ownership and the league.