The NBA is considering further cracking down on tanking.
ESPN insider Shams Charania reported Friday that several measures are on the table to help combat teams from sacrificing full seasons for better draft picks in the hope of landing a franchise-altering talent, as the league plans to review its current policies.
Some of the modifications aimed at disincentivizing bottoming out could include changes to draft pick protections and lottery rules.
The NBA has already tried a number of measures, including the play-in tournament that puts the top 10 teams in each conference into postseason play and a flattening of lottery odds.
The teams with the worst three records all have a 14 percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick and the squad with the fourth-worst mark drops only to 12.5 percent.
Nothing is guaranteed, though, as the Mavericks proved last year by snagging the No. 1 pick and Duke star Cooper Flagg with just a 1.8 percent chance.
Still, being in the bottom three usually guarantees a franchise a top-four selection.
The Nets, after the failure of their Big 3 of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving, are in their second straight “tanking” season.
Brooklyn selected eighth in 2025 and made five first-round picks.
All of them have seen time on the court for Brooklyn this season, as the Nets have the youngest roster in the NBA with an average of 23.36 years.
Despite the youth influx, the team is currently 7-19 and in line for the sixth pick, just 2 1/2 games behind the tank-leading Wizards.
The Nets have the lowest payroll in the NBA at $140 million, with the Wizards at the third-lowest at $159 million, and their records reflect it.
The Jazz, eighth among the NBA bottom feeders, are at just $146 million.
The Cavaliers have the highest payroll at $232 million.
The NBA will now look at how it can incentivise clubs not to go the tanking route and encourage a greater level of competition in the league.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
