The NBA is preparing to take a harder stance against tanking, with potential draft lottery reforms already being discussed at the league’s highest levels. The league has informed all 30 general managers that anti-tanking measures are on the table ahead of next season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Charania reported that the NBA is considering a range of changes, including limiting first-round pick protections, freezing lottery odds after the trade deadline, expanding lottery eligibility to play-in teams, and even flattening lottery odds so that every participating team has the same chance at the top pick.
Other options discussed include preventing teams from selecting in the top four in consecutive seasons, locking teams out of the top four following back-to-back bottom-three finishes, or barring conference finalists from picking at the top of the draft the following year. Another proposal would base lottery odds on two-year records instead of a single season.
To be clear, the league is not expected to implement every idea. However, even adopting one or two would represent a significant shift in how rebuilding teams approach roster construction and draft strategy.
The urgency behind the discussions is tied to what has become one of the most aggressive tanking seasons in recent memory. NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently fined multiple franchises six-figure sums for what he described as “overt” tanking behavior.
Former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, now serving as a senior adviser to basketball operations for the NBA, reportedly addressed general managers directly at Thursday’s meeting. Krzyzewski called for an “attack” on tanking and urged executives to prepare for meaningful changes in the year ahead, per Charania.
The timing is not coincidental. This upcoming draft class is widely viewed by league insiders as one of the deepest in years, with high-end prospects and potential franchise players projected throughout the top ten. That reality has only intensified incentives for teams to slide down the standings.
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