Free Basketball Auction Software for Live Draft Night
Give every team the same cap and let them fight over the pool. Auction Ace runs a live basketball auction draft where general managers bid in real time, budgets deplete as rosters fill, and the board updates on every screen at once.
It works for rec and corporate leagues, college and university tournaments, 3x3 series and fantasy basketball auction leagues that want a live draft night rather than an ordered pick list.
Basketball auction settings you control
Every rule below is configurable per auction, so the software matches your league's format instead of forcing you into someone else's.
Salary cap
Each team starts with an identical cap. Winning bids come off it immediately, and every GM can see what their rivals still have available.
Position groups
Call the pool by point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards and centers, so teams build a rotation instead of five of the same player.
Roster spots
Set minimum and maximum roster sizes so every team fields five plus a bench and nobody hoards the pool.
Base price
Set a common floor for the pool and raise it for the players you expect to be contested.
Bid increments
Configure how much each raise adds so the draft keeps pace instead of inching upward.
GM consoles
Each general manager bids from their own device with a private view of their roster, cap space and open positions.
Cap space is the whole game
In an auction draft the interesting decision is never who is available — everyone is available. It is what a player is worth relative to the cap you have left, and whether spending big early leaves you filling the last three roster spots with whoever remains.
Auction Ace enforces that maths in real time. Every GM sees their remaining cap, their filled and unfilled positions, and how much room their rivals have. Bids that a team cannot cover are blocked before they are placed, so the draft never has to be unwound.
The host nominates, a shot-clock style countdown runs, GMs raise from their phones, and the player joins the winning roster when it expires. For 3x3 formats, drop the roster minimum to three or four and the same auction runs unchanged.
How to run your basketball auction
- 1
Import the player pool
Upload players in bulk with position, height and photo, or share a registration link so players enter their own details.
- 2
Add teams and caps
Create each team with a logo and a starting cap, then invite the GM to their own bidding console by link.
- 3
Configure draft rules
Set bid increments, clock length, roster minimums and maximums, position caps and the order the position groups are called.
- 4
Run the draft
Nominate from the host console with the public board on a screen for the room and an overlay in OBS for the stream.
What you get on auction night
Live cap enforcement
Remaining cap is recalculated on every sale and bids beyond a team's means are rejected up front.
Real-time bidding
Every device sees the same bid at the same moment, with the order recorded for anything close.
Broadcast overlays
OBS and vMix browser sources for the current player, the leading bid, standings, rosters and a top-sales ticker.
Complete audit log
Every bid and sale is timestamped, so a contested finish can be settled by the record rather than by memory.
Basketball auction FAQs
Can I run a fantasy basketball auction draft?
Yes. Give each team a cap in points, load the player pool, and run a live auction with every GM bidding from their own device.
Does it support 3x3?
Set your roster minimum and maximum to suit the format — three or four for 3x3 — and everything else works the same.
Can teams overspend?
No. A team cannot place a bid it does not have the cap space to cover, and the remaining cap updates the instant a player is sold.
How many teams can join?
There is no limit on teams or players, and the core auction is free at any size.
Can GMs join remotely?
Yes. Each GM gets a console link and can bid from anywhere, so a fully remote draft night works exactly like an in-person one.
Further reading
Auctions for other sports
Ready to run your basketball auction?
Create your auction, invite your teams, and go live. No limit on players or teams, and the core auction is free.
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