The NBA is making a big deal out of teams "tanking" for top draft picks this season.
Three NBA teams - the Wizards, the Jazz and the Indiana Pacers - have very little interest in winning games this season. The Wizards and the Jazz have been bad for multiple years in a row. However, the two franchises - thanks in part to the NBA's new lottery rules - have yet to hit big on a top pick. They're eying elite players at the top of the 2026 NBA Draft class.
But others in the league have an issue with how these teams are going about their 2025-26 season. They're trading for injured players, stashing them and continuing to lose heading into the summer.
BROOKLYN, NY - JUNE 26: NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver poses for a group photo with the draft prospects before the 2024 NBA Draft - Round One on June 26, 2024 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images
What can be done to stop tanking?
How about getting rid of the NBA Draft altogether?
That's reportedly something that NBA commissioner Adam Silver is fully considering right now.
Could the NBA get rid of the draft?
The league would reportedly give "serious consideration" to eliminating the NBA Draft and turning rookies into free agents.
"However, if Silver and his advisers decided the only way to stop tanking, and thereby protect paying customers from forking over money to watch their teams lose on purpose, was to stop the draft altogether and turn rookies into free agents, that same league official said it would get serious consideration," The Athletic reported.
Does the NBA need to consider a drastic change?
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