Tanking is back on the league’s radar. Again.
According to Marc Stein of the Stein Line, the issue was a major point of discussion at the NBA’s most recent Competition Committee meeting in late January.
And it’s not hard to see why. Despite the league flattening lottery odds in recent years, nearly a third of the NBA now appears incentivized to lose as much as possible over the final stretch.
This draft has something to do with that. A lot to do with it. League executives view the upcoming class as top-heavy, with potential franchise changers like Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, and Caleb Wilson sitting at the top of boards.
The Jazz and Wizards are two teams with clear incentive to bottom out. Both hold top-eight–protected picks and made significant trades last week that pointed firmly toward the future.
History suggests that’s not paranoia either. In each of the past three lotteries, the team with the league’s worst record slid to No. 5.
Around the league, executives have also noted how the Spurs benefited from landing top-four picks in three straight drafts. The 76ers followed a similar path last year, tanking late and landing the No. 3 pick, which became VJ Edgecombe.
Expect questions. Plenty of them. Commissioner Adam Silver is likely to hear about it again during his All-Star weekend press conference.
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