How many rounds are there in the NBA draft

The NBA Draft day is one of the most memorable days in an aspiring basketball players’ life. All their hard work and practice boils down to this day. Draft day provides us with narratives for the upcoming future like draft steals, lottery picks and undrafted players who went on to achieve extraordinary things in the NBA.

The 2024 NBA Draft will be held on two different days, the first such format in draft history. The June 26, 2024, venue is the Barclays Center in Brooklyn the June 27 venue is ESPN's Seaport District Studios in Manhattan. The idea of a two-day Draft was a long and pending discussion which has now been implemented by the NBA.

Draft history has seen multiple undrafted and late picks surpassing expectations, even leading their teams to a championship. The pressure is on the teams’ front office to make the best trades and scout players for the future.

Number of rounds in the NBA Draft

The NBA Draft consists of two rounds, the first round comprises 30 draft picks and the top 14 picks are called the lottery picks. The teams that are eligible for the Draft Lottery picks are the teams that miss the playoffs. Each team is awarded two-draft picks in an NBA Draft, one in the first and one in the second round.

In 2017, the NBA changed the lottery system and the changes effective from the 2019 NBA Draft. The worst three teams were awarded a 25% chance for the first overall pick and after the changes were made it was altered down to 14% each. The teams with the worst regular season records get allocated the highest chances for the first overall pick. The three worst regular season teams will each be given a 14% chance for the first overall pick.

The first four draft picks are then awarded by drawing a combination of ping-pong balls out of 1000 possibilities. The first team has 140 combinations and the 14th team has only five for the first overall pick. The rest of the picks from 15 to 30 are determined by reverse order of regular season standings.

The second-round consists of picks from 31st to 60th, consisting of hidden gems and underrated talents. This round provides the teams with players who fell on the draft board due to injuries or a bad NBA combine but carry a huge potential. Nikola Jokic and Draymond Green were drafted in the second round and went on to become the cornerstones of their franchises.

Notbaly, there will only be 58 draft picks as the Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns have to forfeit their rights due to tampering violation. The two picks are from the second-round.

The NBA Draft Day also has many players who don't want to be drafted in the later second round due to a lower upside value. This happens mainly due to players getting the identical amount of money but gives them the freedom to play at the team of their choice. This is communicated by the agent to the teams and the player is signed on later as promised by the other team.