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Teams plan their draft strategy well in advance. The 14 teams that missed the playoffs are entered into the Draft Lottery. The rest of the draft order is set by win-loss record. This means a struggling team can move ahead through luck: in the 2025 lottery, each of the three teams with the worst records had about a 14% chance at the first pick.
After the lottery, teams alternate picks based on their standings. Overall, the draft is how teams with cap space and rosters need to build for the future.
NBA Draft Format & Structure
The NBA Draft format starts with the first round. Picks 1–14 (the non-playoff teams) are arranged by lottery and record and picks 15–30 follow in inverse order of regular-season record. In practice, the four worst teams enter a lottery to determine the top four picks. The remaining teams that missed the playoffs then selected slots 5–14 in order of worst to best record.
NBA Playoff teams then pick 15–30 in reverse order of their record. These selection rules mean that under the NBA Draft Format, each team typically adds two rookies each year, helping maintain equal footing across the league.
After all first-round picks are made, the second round proceeds simply by converse standings. Teams pick 31–60 in the exact reverse order of their win-loss records from the prior season. Because of the fixed two-round structure (as defined by the collective bargaining agreement), once the draft ends, each team will have made exactly two selections. Under these NBA Draft Rules, trading picks can alter who picks where, but the fundamental format (two rounds, 60 picks total) does not change from year to year.
NBA Lottery System and Odds
The NBA Draft Lottery adds a chance to the process by choosing haphazardly the first four picks each year. Fourteen teams (the worst records) are entered into the lottery. League rules give each of the three worst teams a 14.0% chance to win the #1 pick. For example, in 2025, Utah, Washington, and Charlotte each had 14.0% odds of the first pick. The lottery drawing then assigns picks 1–4 based on this probability.
After the lottery winners are set, the rest of the non-playoff teams are selected in inverse order of record. The lottery procedure is a specific fragment of the NBA Draft rules to discourage teams from losing on purpose, as the #1 pick is no longer guaranteed to the worst team.
Historical examples show how unpredictable the lottery can be. In 2014, the Cleveland Cavaliers won the top pick despite only having a 1.7% chance (aable long-shot outcome). Cleveland used that #1 pick to draft Kansas small forward Andrew Wiggins, illustrating how a single lucky bounce in the lottery can change a franchise’s future.
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NBA Eligibility and Entry Rules
Eligibility for the NBA Draft is tightly controlled by the NBA Draft Rules. All candidates must be at least 19 years old by the draft year. U.S. players must also be one year removed from high school graduation. To enter the draft, players (such as college underclassmen or international prospects) file as early-entry candidates.
The NBA announces a list of early-entry candidates each spring, and those players must withdraw by a league deadline (e.g., mid-May) if they wish to retain their avocational status. These eligibility rules are all part of the NBA Draft Format that ensures that every NBA rookie meets the age and timing requirements set by the league.
NBA Rookie Contracts and Salaries
Once a player is drafted, the NBA Draft rules continue to govern his entry deal. First-round picks sign an equalized “rookie scale” contract that lasts four years: two guaranteed seasons plus team options for the third and fourth years. This rookie salary scale is fixed by the collective bargaining agreement to cap rookie pay based on the draft slot. It gives teams control of a draft pick’s contract through year 4, with salary amounts tied to the player’s draft position.
Second-round picks, by contrast, sign non-scale deals that can vary in length and guarantee. Overall, the NBA Draft Format’s structure extends even to contracts: by drafting a player, a team obtains exclusive signing rights under the CBA’s rookie contract rules.
A. NBA draft players must be 19 during the draft year and one year removed from high school graduation if U.S.-based.
