NBA Enacts Anti-Tanking Rules

- The most prominent modern example of tanking is the Philadelphia 76ers' "Process" era under general manager Sam Hinkie, which saw the team win just 46 games over three seasons from 2013 to 2016 to secure high draft picks. This strategy ultimately landed them future MVP Joel Embiid. - The league last reformed the draft lottery in 2019 to disincentivize tanking by flattening the odds. The change reduced the worst team's chance of getting the No. 1 pick from 25% to 14%, making it the same as the second and third-worst teams. - Since the 2019 odds change, the team with the worst overall record has not once won the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery. - The renewed urgency for rule changes follows recent significant fines for teams resting healthy players. The Utah Jazz were fined $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 this season, while the Dallas Mavericks received a $750,000 fine in 2023 for similar actions late in the season. - Among the new proposals is the idea of freezing lottery odds at the trade deadline or another set date, which would make losing games late in the season pointless for draft positioning. - Other potential rule changes being discussed include preventing teams from selecting in the top four in consecutive years and extending the draft lottery to include all teams that participate in the Play-In Tournament. - Commissioner Adam Silver stated at the All-Star Weekend that tanking behavior is "worse this year than we've seen in recent memory" and that the league is considering "every possible remedy" to solve the problem.