Silver Announces NBA’s Plan to Implement Anti-Tanking Rules
In a decisive move to address tanking in the NBA, Commissioner Adam Silver announced the league’s plans to implement anti-tanking rules by the 2026/27 season. This was revealed during a recent meeting with all 30 NBA general managers and was confirmed by Shams Charania of ESPN.
League’s Commitment to Integrity
During his press conference at the NBA All-Star event, Silver expressed a strong desire to tackle the issue of tanking. He indicated that the integrity and long-term viability of the league are at stake due to this practice. The general managers acknowledged this concern, agreeing that current systems need revisions.
One general manager remarked, “We’re all to blame,” indicating a collective responsibility. Mike Krzyzewski, special adviser to basketball operations, also commended the GMs for recognizing the problem and addressing it head-on. He urged them to prepare for the forthcoming rule changes, which are expected to take effect in the next season.
Proposed Rule Changes
In response to ongoing tanking strategies, several potential rule changes have been discussed in recent league meetings, including:
- Restricting first-round picks to either top-four or top-14 protections.
- Prohibiting teams from acquiring top-four picks in consecutive years or following successive bottom-three finishes.
- Preventing teams from selecting in the top four if they reached the conference finals the previous year.
- Implementing a freeze on lottery odds at the trade deadline or another specified date.
- Allocating flattened odds for all lottery teams.
- Considering lottery odds based on a two-year performance record.
- Extending the lottery to include all eight play-in teams instead of just four non-playoff teams.
While these suggestions aim to mitigate tanking, some analysts, including Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, have raised concerns about the effectiveness of these changes.
Previous Measures and Context
The NBA already took a step towards addressing this issue by flattening the draft lottery odds in 2019. However, teams still attempt to secure advantageous positions at the bottom of the standings, especially when drafting prospects from a particularly strong class.
The continued discussion and expected changes reflect the league’s commitment to promoting fair competition and enhancing the integrity of the game.
