Victor Wembenyama has taken over the NBA discourse by storm. The young French prodigy has turned eyes with his unique build and playstyle. It has led more than a couple of teams to punt their season away and hope to get a chance to get Wembenyama in the draft, much to the chagrin of commissioner Adam Silver.

Predictably, Adam Silver was not pleased with the tanking fever that has taken over the NBA. The commissioner condemned tanking in multiple instances. In addition, Adam Silver has hinted that he might be looking at adding a relegation mechanic to the NBA to curb tanking practices. (via Baxter Holmes)

ā€œSpeaking of a concept in European soccer, Silver also said that the league has thought about relegation as a potential solution to ensure the worst-performing teams are incentivized to compete.ā€

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The existence of the NBA draft naturally leads to the concept of tanking amongst teams. The idea is that teams are willing to punt away a season or two in order to draft young potential stars. It has always existed in the NBA, but Victor Wembenyama's upcoming draft eligibility has put this in the spotlight.

In theory, relegation should almost completely remove the concept of tanking. Being demoted from the NBA is a death blow to any franchise, encouraging teams to compete every season. However, it's most likely not going to happen. It would be a logistical nightmare for Adam Silver to overhaul the league system to accommodate relegation. That's not mentioning the fact that owners are more than likely not going to vote for relegation, as it ultimately hurts their bottom-line.