Silver Considers Anti-Tanking Penalties

- In 2019, the NBA flattened the draft lottery odds, giving the three teams with the worst records an equal 14% chance of receiving the No. 1 pick. Previously, the team with the worst record had a 25% chance. - A notable recent example of tanking occurred in 2023 when the Dallas Mavericks were fined $750,000 for sitting key players in what appeared to be an effort to miss the play-in tournament and retain their top-10 protected first-round draft pick. - The current discussion was intensified by recent league actions in February 2026, when the Utah Jazz were fined $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for sitting healthy star players. - One of the most famous instances of long-term tanking was the Philadelphia 76ers' "The Process" from 2013 to 2016, during which the team won only 47 games over three seasons to acquire high draft picks. - Commissioner Silver has stated that tanking behavior is "worse this year than we've seen in recent memory," attributing it in part to a perception of a very deep and talented 2026 draft class. - Beyond stripping draft picks, other anti-tanking ideas the league has reportedly discussed include locking in lottery positions before the end of the season (e.g., after March 1) and prohibiting teams from receiving a top-four pick in consecutive years. - The NBA's draft lottery system was first introduced in 1985 to counter accusations of teams deliberately losing games to get the top pick. Before that, from 1966 to 1984, the worst team in each conference participated in a coin flip for the first selection. - The current lottery determines the order for the first four picks; after that, the remaining non-playoff teams select in reverse order of their regular-season records.