NBA Fans Already Think Draft Lottery Has Been 'Rigged'

The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery is set to begin in less than four hours. But a conspiracy theory has already emerged.

On Saturday night, the Golden State Warriors - who missed the 2026 playoffs - and head coach Steve Kerr agreed to a new multi-year contract, making him the highest-paid coach in the league. Kerr had widely been rumored to be considering retirement, or a TV role. His return is a surprise.

"It was never going to be about money," one team source said, per ESPN. "We had to make the best basketball decision."

The Warriors have a chance to move up in the NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday. They have the 11th best odds. Golden State has a 9.4 percent chance at moving up into the top four and a 2.0 percent chance of getting the No. 1 pick.

But with Kerr already agreeing to a new deal, some - including Bill Simmons - are floating the idea that the Warriors already know they'll be moving up.

NBA fans think league could 'rig' lottery for Warriors

Bill Simmons wrote: "Happens one day before the 2026 lottery… CONSPIRACY BILL ON HIGH ALERT."

NBA fans have speculated that the league has "rigged" the lottery before, specifically when the Knicks got Patrick Ewing and the Cavs got LeBron James.

Fans are theorizing it could happen again on Sunday.

"This is step one in the Warriors winning the Draft lottery tomorrow. It is all rigged," one wrote.

"The NBA 1000% rigged the lottery so the golden state warriors are picking top four," one fan added.

"It's going to be rigged again," one fan added.

We'll find out this afternoon.

The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. E.T. on Sunday. It'll air live on ABC.

Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 10:16 AM.