The measures against tanking that the NBA plans to implement

Juan López | Fri, 02/20/2026 - 13:00

NBA Measures to Prevent Tanking Ahead of the Draft.

Adam Silver informed the league's 30 general managers on Thursday that the NBA plans to introduce changes to the rules against tanking starting next season, according to sources consulted by ESPN.

In recent weeks, the league office has intensified discussions with the board of governors, the competition committee, and franchise executives with the aim of protecting the integrity of the competition. Concepts to curb this practice began to be raised during the owners' meeting held in December.

Silver was described as “forceful” in his message during the meeting, emphasizing the need to find solutions to a phenomenon that has gained prominence in recent weeks. During the All-Star Weekend, the commissioner acknowledged that tanking has been “worse this year than in recent memory” and stated that he is considering “all possible remedies.”

Also present at the meeting was Mike Krzyzewski, the league's senior basketball operations advisor, who conveyed the need for a rapid and measured “attack” against the problem, emphasizing that all parties will need to adapt to the decisions made in the coming months.

NBA's Proposed Measures

The following proposals have been discussed in recent meetings as possible tools to limit the incentive of deliberately losing games:

Proposed Measure	Description
Limited Pick Protection	First-round picks can only be protected for top-4 or top-14 selections onwards
Probability Freeze	Lottery odds would be set at the trade deadline or a later specified date
Consecutive top-4 Restriction	A team cannot pick in the top-4 in consecutive years and/or after finishing among the three worst teams for two consecutive years
Post-Conference Finals Penalty	A team cannot pick in the top-4 the year after competing in a Conference Finals
Biennial Cycle Odds	Lottery chances would be allocated based on a team's accumulated balance over two seasons
Expanded Lottery	The Lottery would also include all play-in teams
Flattening Odds	Equalize the odds among all teams participating in the Lottery

These measures aim to reduce the structural incentives that prompt some franchises to prioritize losses in the final stretch of the regular season.

Recent Fines and Public Criticism

The league has already taken action. The NBA recently fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for benching healthy players in recent games. The organization emphasized that it will not tolerate moves that compromise the integrity of the competition.

Meanwhile, Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia described tanking as a problem “much worse than any betting scandal” in an extensive social media post.

The debate has also sparked varied opinions within the league environment, but the institutional stance is clear: strengthen the rules to preserve the competitiveness and credibility of the championship.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Las medidas contra el tanking que planea implementar la NBA

Tanking NBA

Adam Silver