NBA - NBA Commissioner Adam Silver informed the league’s 30 general managers Thursday that rule changes to combat tanking are planned for the next season.
Several concepts have been discussed to curb the practice. These include limiting first-round draft pick protections to only the top four or top 14-plus selections and freezing lottery odds at the trade deadline or a later date. Another proposal would no longer allow a team to pick in the top four in consecutive years or after consecutive bottom-three finishes.
Additional measures could include barring teams from the top four the year after appearing in the conference finals. The league is also considering allocating lottery odds based on two-year records, extending the lottery to include all play-in teams, and flattening odds for all lottery participants.
Team owners have expressed public frustration with the trend. Mat Ishbia, owner of the Phoenix Suns, criticized the impact of tanking on the league’s reputation in a post to X. The former Spartan Ishbia said tanking is “much worse than any prop bet scandal.”
The NBA recently took disciplinary action against teams for sitting healthy players. The league fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 last week. League officials stated that moves that compromise the integrity of the sport will not be tolerated.
The league office is expected to start proposing potential concepts for changes during a meeting with team owners in December. Stakeholders are prepared to respond to what the league enacts in the coming months and year.