The NBA's tanking problem has grown from a subtle, largely ignored side issue to a full-on epidemic spreading across the bottom third of the league like wildfire, culminating this season with an arms race between at least eight teams to lose as much as possible to increase their lottery odds for a loaded draft. In ESPN's conversations with dozens of players, coaches and front office executives, a consistent theme emerged: Nobody likes it -- but not many deny it is often the most prudent team-building path when stuck near the bottom. Different seasons and different drafts will generate different forms, but everyone agrees it'll continue until the NBA figures out either the proper rules or punishments to curb it.
The strategies are growing in audaciousness and frequency of use. The orders from management are coming in earlier in the season, creating months of competitively compromised and often unwatchable basketball. The average margin of victory in NBA games this season is 13.1 points, the largest spread in history, and a record 89 games have been decided by 30 or more points.
The NBA delivered the Jazz a $500,000 fine in February for this practice after they benched Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the fourth quarter of tight road games in Orlando and Miami. "Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition and we will respond accordingly to any further actions," Silver said in a statement.
In the two months since, there have been no fines for the midgame benching tactic despite its frequent and increased usage. Like the Wizards, Utah coach Will Hardy used the minutes cap explanation as reasoning. "I get fined when I do wrong," Warriors' Draymond Green said on Tuesday. "Just fine the hell outta people. They love taking money from players. Keep fining teams. I've seen two fines. As players, they snatch that money in a heartbeat. Why isn't it the same? Everybody love money."
Several members of coaching staffs across the league tell stories of these tanking teams yanking even their midrotation players the moment one of them gets hot, essentially searching for the worst possible combination for the given moment. Others have noted that the advent of the three two-way roster spots has made it easier in recent seasons to generate these G League level lineup combinations.
The trouble for the league is the wide array of opinions on what exactly is the best fix and the fact that many of the favored concepts -- like flipping the benefits for lottery odds from losses to wins midseason -- are extremely difficult to explain simply to the casual consumer. Silver said he desires a solution in place before June, allowing the NBA to implement the agreed-upon new rules before the 2026 draft and free agency, allowing front offices time to absorb and plan before making big-picture roster decisions.
