The NBA has a tanking problem.
For years, struggling teams have embraced the idea of increasing lottery odds in order to land a favorable pick to select some of the league's biggest risers entering the draft.
Despite Adam Silver's efforts to keep the playoff outsiders competing for an 82-game season, tanking is an issue in 2026. Some would say it's even worse now, with several drafts bringing in strong prospects from all over the world.
Before the league reached its All-Star weekend, two teams were fined for violating rules that were put in place to avoid situations that signal potential tanking. The Utah Jazz landed a $500,000 bill, while the Indiana pacers were hit with a $100,000 fine.
The league is kicking around efforts to keep the issue in check. According to a report from The Athletic, league officials held several meetings this week to "discuss tanking remedies."
There were reportedly 10 solutions discussed, and it was made clear that abolishing the draft was not one of them. Could that change in the future? One league official said it could get "serious consideration" later on down the line, if the league feels it can no longer protect paying customers from paying to watch teams lose on purpose.
NBA Fans Sound Off on the Hypothetical Idea
On social media, NBA fans discussed the idea of the draft going away altogether. Instead, incoming rookies would be free agents with the ability to sign anywhere right out of the gate.
While some might see it as an intriguing scenario, there was some strong pushback.
"NBA needs to abolish the lottery and make the draft order based on record, then accept the fact that there will always be some kind of tanking no matter what you do," one fan wrote
"Yeah if he does that, he needs to be fired," another fan said of Silver.
"This, on paper, should work. It's been suggested by many sharp people who can justify an open market for rookies and elimination of restricted free agency," popular X user World Wide Wob wrote.
"This, realistically, will not work. You think cap circumvention is a problem now? Just wait until shoe brands start financially incentivizing their rookie clients to sign with preferred franchises/big city markets. More than half of the Board of Governors are going to approve even more negotiating leverage for the prom kings & queens? Hard to believe, despite the sound logic."
When it comes to the annual free agency market in July, the NBA already has its fair share of concerns over star players choosing franchises based on the market over the fit with the roster. Fans are skeptical that would be the case with the young free agents as well.
"Yeah so teams like the Blazers, Jazz, Kings etc… will just suck forever and have no chance to compete also how will you deal with future traded draft picks?" Another fan added.
It's clear the NBA doesn't have a solid solution right now, and the problem can’t be solved for the 2025-2026 NBA season. With just two more months of action left, all the NBA can do is continue monitoring the situation closely and issue punishments when necessary.
Losing at a high rate doesn't automatically result in winning the lottery. The last two drafts were a perfect example. In 2024, the Atlanta Hawks held a three percent chance of winning the top pick, and they beat out the Washington Wizards and the Detroit Pistons, who had the highest odds.
Last year, the Dallas Mavericks stunned the NBA by winning the top pick with just 1.8 percent odds. Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz, and the Washington Wizards fell outside of the top three, despite having the best chances of winning.
Still, struggling teams want to lock in their 14 percent. Changes are being considered, and one thing is for sure: plenty of NBA fans would not be supportive of getting rid of the draft.
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