Over the last decade, the Philadelphia 76ers were the organization that was known to tank for top-tier NBA draft picks every single year. It did not necessarily materialize because the 76ers have still failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001 despite selecting stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons through the draft. Through the approach of the Sixers, numerous organizations have emulated them, like the Oklahoma City Thunder or Detroit Pistons.

As most teams have played a quarter of their games already, there are some teams that must decide to just tank this season and focus on their developing their young core and drafting some of the best college prospects next season. These are the teams that could consider the tanking approach.

3 NBA Teams That Must Tank Instead

Indiana Pacers

Discussing the Indiana Pacers as a tanking team could be surprising for some individuals, but the pieces they have on their roster are not close to being a serious contender in the Eastern Conference. They four terrific assets that have tremendous value for a plethora of teams like Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, Domantas Sabonis, and Myles Turner.

They do not need to unload on all these four players but moving on from two of them to add younger pieces that would complement their roster could be plausible. Moreover, the Pacers has not had the opportunity to select a player from the top 10 since drafting Paul George at tenth in 2010. Young faces and new draftees could bolster their squad in the next three-five years rather than sticking it out with this lineup that has a small chance to even make some noise in the playoffs.

At 9-15 and 13th in the East, it seems smart for the Pacers to just focus on developing players like Chris Duarte and Oshae Brisset or showcase their main pieces and trade them before the NBA trade deadline.

San Antonio Spurs

Ever since the departure of Kawhi Leonard in 2018, the San Antonio Spurs have been playing at a subpar level under the leadership of DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge. After unloading on all their veterans this offseason, the Spurs have signaled to the league that they are focusing on growing with the core of Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson, and Jakob Poeltl.

With Greg Popovich still coaching this franchise, they are still a legitimate threat to topple any team on a given night, but the consistent success is difficult to sustain for the Spurs. The Spurs organization have been a serious playoff contender since 1998, but it might be time to tank for a talented forward like Paolo Banchero to complement their backcourt of Murray and White.

Currently, Popovich is just 20 wins away from being the winningest coach in NBA History as this could be the main reason his team would still continue racking up victories as they would want Popovich to retire with this spectacular milestone.

New Orleans Pelicans

Entering the season, the New Orleans Pelicans wanted to fast track their rebuilding by trading for Jonas Valanciunas after his impressive 2020-21 stint with the Memphis Grizzlies. However, Zion Williamson sustained an injury during the offseason that has prevented him from suiting up this season. Additionally, he even suffered a setback in his recover as he experienced soreness in his surgically repaired foot.

With Brandon Ingram missing many games as well, the Pelicans only have six victories this season. It seems insurmountable for them to seriously compete for a play-in spot even if Williamson returns by January or February. Their young acquisitions in Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kira Lewis Jr. or Jaxson Hayes have been underwhelming this season.

With only Valanciunas having a phenomenal year, the decision for the Pelicans to tank and make Williamson focus on his rehab seems like the brilliant decision for their organization.By increasing the minutes of the core they intend to keep, it will expand their repertoire and increase their confidence for the following seasons.

It is tough to advise certain franchises to already tank 20 games into the NBA season, but this is the juncture of the year already when there is some clarity on the teams that has an immense chance to qualify for the playoffs. These three organizations wanted to remain competitive and fight for a spot this season, but that will not be the case unfortunately. They must be realistic with their expectations as it could be beneficial as well for their long term development and growth as a franchise.