The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are sitting on a combined 20 first-round picks and 30 second-round picks through 2034, giving them outsized control over the league's talent pipeline. ESPN's Tim Bontemps reports that a 3-2-1 lottery system could soon reshape how teams value those picks, expanding the No. 1 pick chase to as many as 18 franchises starting in 2027.

NBA analysts have broken down every team into seven tiers ahead of the June draft. The top group, led by the Thunder and Spurs, collectively holds 77 first-rounders and 88 second-rounders through 2033, which represents 34% of all picks in that window. The Brooklyn Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Washington Wizards round out Tier 1 with stacked future assets from deals like the Mikal Bridges and James Harden trades.

Teams in Tier 2 like the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers have strong first-round equity but traded away this season's pick. Meanwhile, 18 franchises still owe first-rounders or swap rights across the next three drafts. The lottery reform vote next week could shift the entire calculus for teams holding those long-term assets.