Adam Silver seeks aggressive solutions to tanking: "This is the worst year in history"

The NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, acknowledged on Saturday that the phenomenon of tanking has reached more concerning levels than in recent seasons and assured that the league is willing to explore all possible options to combat it, including the possibility of withdrawing draft picks from franchises that engage in this type of behavior.

During his pre-2026 All-Star Saturday appearance, Silver explained that the recent behaviors of some teams have highlighted a structural problem in the league's incentives.

"Previously, this was simply an agreement among partners on how to behave," Silver said. "Now, we are seeing modern analyses that clearly show that the incentives are misaligned. Are we witnessing the worst behavior in recent history? Yes, that's my opinion. That's why fines were imposed, and that's why I've said we will closely examine everything that happens this season."

The statements come shortly after the NBA fined Utah Jazz $500,000 and Indiana Pacers $100,000 for the way they managed their rotations, which the league deemed detrimental to competition.

Rethinking the draft system

Silver also opened the door to a deeper debate about the very structure of the draft and the lottery, suggesting that, after decades of similar functioning, it might be time to reconsider the model.

The commissioner shared that he recently spoke with Bob Cousy, who is 97, about the first All-Star Game held in 1950, which made him reflect on how much the NBA has evolved since then and how that same spirit of change should apply to other aspects of the league.

"We are talking about a league with 80 years of history. It is time to look at these things with fresh eyes," Silver explained. "If teams are manipulating their performance to get higher picks, even within a lottery, then we must question if really the worst teams are the ones ending up with the worst records."

According to Silver, discussions with general managers and members of the competition committee have revealed that there isn't always a real difference between, for example, the team with the worst record and others a few spots above, especially when there are clear incentives to lose.

Clear warning to franchises

Beyond potential structural changes, Silver emphasized that the recent fines aim to send a direct message to the entire league.

"I wanted, very intentionally, for teams to be on alert," he stated. "We are going to scrutinize more closely all the circumstances of this season."

The message is clear: the NBA considers tanking to have become a major problem and does not rule out drastic measures to protect the league's competitive integrity.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Adam Silver busca soluciones agresivas al tanking: "Está siendo el peor año de la historia"