One of the biggest talking points in the NBA in recent weeks has been the league's rampant tanking issue, with teams like the Utah Jazz routinely benching starters in order to increase their lottery odds. The NBA has tried to remedy this issue in recent seasons by flattening the lottery odds and implementing fines, but clearly, more work is needed in order to meet fans' expectations.
Recently, NBA insider Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported on one proposed idea that would see the league abolish the draft completely and essentially make incoming rookies free agents.
“There were numerous meetings among league officials this week to discuss tanking remedies, and, of the approximately 10 solutions discussed, the outright abolition of the rookie draft was not among them, one of those officials said,” reported Vardon.
However, that doesn't mean it will be off the table moving forward if things continue in this direction.
“…if (Adam) Silver and his advisers decided the only way to stop tanking… was to stop the draft altogether and turn rookies into free agents, that same league official said it would get serious consideration,” he reported.
Meanwhile, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke on the league's tanking issue during his media availability at All-Star weekend in Los Angeles.
“My sense is talking to GMs and coaches around the league that there’s probably even more parity reflected in our records. And that goes to the incentive issue. … It’s a bit of a conundrum,” he said.
It's unlikely that any solution exists that will be able to fully satisfy all parties involved, but there is clearly an issue when teams are routinely pulling their starters from games down the stretch in a blatant attempt to lose.
It remains to be seen how the NBA will proceed in addressing this issue in future seasons.
