Commissioner Adam Silver informed the league’s 30 general managers Thursday that the NBA plans to make anti-tanking rule changes for next season, sources told ESPN.
The league office’s conversations with stakeholders from the board of governors, competition committee and GMs have been intensifying dialogue about combatting tanking — including starting to propose potential concepts for changes in December during its meeting with owners.
Multiple sources with knowledge of Thursday’s meeting as well as a late January competition committee meeting told ESPN that these concepts have been discussed to curb tanking:
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First-round draft picks can be protected only for top-four or top-14-plus selections
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Lottery odds freeze at the trade deadline or a later date
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No longer allowing a team to pick top 4 in consecutive years and/or after consecutive bottom-3 finishes
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Teams can’t pick top 4 the year after making conference finals
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Lottery odds allocated based on two-year records
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Lottery extended to include all play-in teams
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Flatten odds for all lottery teams
During Thursday’s GM meeting, Silver, the league office and the league’s 30 top team executives shared a desire to have ongoing discussions to safeguard the integrity of the sport. Silver was described as “forceful” with his message about wanting to attack the problem that has gained steam across the league in recent weeks.
Sources said Mike Krzyzewski, the senior adviser to basketball operations for the league office, delivered a message in Thursday’s meeting that there should be a prompt, tasteful “attack” of the problem developing in the NBA, and that those involved should all be prepared to respond to what the league enacts in the coming months and year.
During his All-Star Weekend news conference, Silver said tanking has been “worse this year than we’ve seen in recent memory” and that he was considering “every possible remedy” to combat the problem.
Earlier Thursday, Phoenix Suns owner sounded off on the issue and called tanking “much worse than any prop bet scandal” in a lengthy post to X.
Last week, the NBA fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000, with the NBA saying both teams sat healthy players in recent games while noting that moves that compromise the league’s integrity won’t be tolerated.
