The 6 teams that will seek tanking in 2026

It has taken just a few months of the regular season for several NBA teams to accept their situation and ramp up their efforts to lose games. Even before the start, it was known that there were strong candidates to tank, but all teams seek to test themselves, see what they can do with their resources, and compete. From now on, several franchises are clearly heading towards losing games.

Projects anchored in failed attempts and without a future, temporary crises with competitive pauses, young groups looking for more resources in the Draft... There are various scenarios that lead NBA franchises to tanking. Despite the introduction of the play-in, there are still teams whose best solution is to lose games. In the Eastern Conference, the case of the Indiana Pacers stands out, who have tried to compete without Haliburton but have realized that this season must be seen as a valley, an opportunity to strengthen through the Draft.

Even more acute is the situation of the Washington Wizards, who still cannot find resources to believe in short-term competition, and the Brooklyn Nets, who are looking to trade their current star players to potentially attract a new star to accelerate their process. In the Western Conference, we see the cases of the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings. The team from Louisiana has already found its project in Fears and Queen but aims to continue gathering draft picks. A more controversial case is the Dallas Mavericks, who will aim to lose to make the most of the only first-round pick they have available in the upcoming years.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Los 6 equipos que buscarán el tanking en 2026