Larger fines, loss of draft picks could await teams that blatantly tank

NBA commissioner Adam Silver touched on a lot during All-Star Weekend. Expansion. Relocation. Media rights. But the topic that stuck was tanking.

And not subtly.

With as many as 10 teams openly drifting toward the bottom, Silver acknowledged what everyone already sees. This has become a league-wide problem, not a one-off situation tied to a single bad roster or unlucky season.

Silver said “every possible remedy” is on the table. That includes reexamining the lottery itself, which currently rewards the 14 teams that miss the playoffs, even after previous efforts to flatten the odds.

What is not on the table, at least for now, is anything drastic. Sources told ESPN the league has not seriously discussed eliminating the draft or allowing prospects to choose their own teams. A lottery tournament among non-playoff teams also has not gained traction. Any meaningful changes would require collective bargaining, and that alone makes sweeping reform unlikely in the short term.

Instead, the league appears focused on deterrents.

According to sources who spoke with league officials over the weekend, discussions have included heavier fines and even the possibility of teams losing draft picks if tanking becomes too blatant.

One high-ranking official told ESPN that financial pressure might be the most effective tool.

“You hurt them in the pocketbook,” the official said. “What happens if they don’t receive their full revenue share if the league finds them guilty?”

There have also been talks about setting lottery odds earlier in the season, rather than waiting until all 82 games are complete. That idea remains exploratory.

Tanking cuts at the core of competitive integrity. Even if this season represents a perfect storm fueled by pick protections and a loaded draft, the league knows the race to the bottom cannot keep becoming the plan.