Every sports league has different lengths for its draft.
Of the major North American sports, none is longer than the MLB Draft, which used to last as long as 101 rounds and now lasts 20 rounds. The NHL and NFL Drafts each last seven rounds, sitting right in the middle. The WNBA and MLS each only have three rounds.
Then there’s the NBA Draft. The NBA Draft is the shortest of the bunch, lasting only two rounds. And that’s not two rounds with a supplemental draft or compensatory picks attached — it’s an even two rounds: 60 picks, two for each team.
Teams are of course more than able to trade their picks and stack up as many as they’d like. Otherwise, the team is limited only to a pair of picks.
The NBA Draft hasn’t always been limited to two rounds. It used to be as many as seven rounds. Why is it shorter now? Here’s what you need to know.
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Why is the NBA Draft two rounds?
The NBA Draft has been two rounds since 1989. The previous year, it had been three rounds, and in 1987, it was up to seven rounds. In the past, it had reached as many as 21 rounds. So, why the change?
The NBA Players Association reached a deal with the league to shorten the draft to only two rounds, in part to help allow undrafted players to have the…
