One of the biggest talking points in the NBA in recent seasons has been the league's tanking problem, with teams intentionally losing games in order to improve their draft lottery odds. With a talented 2026 class coming up, many teams have already kick-started those efforts, with the Utah Jazz shamelessly pulling their starters to help themselves lose a game to the Orlando Magic over the weekend.
Of course, the biggest losers of this dilemma are NBA fans, who do not spend their hard-earned money to see G-League players on the court while starters wither away on the bench.
Recently, NBA insider Marc Stein reported on the league's latest thought process regarding the tanking issue.
“League sources tell The Stein Line that the search for remedies was indeed a prominent topic of discussion at the most recent NBA Competition Committee meeting in late January,” reported Stein on his Substack.
Stein also noted that he “would naturally expect (Commissioner Adam Silver) to get more questions about the league's Tanking Trouble than on any other subject” at his upcoming media availability at All-Star weekend.
In addition to the Jazz, the Washington Wizards have also received criticism for ruling out Anthony Davis for the rest of the year after recently trading for him from the Dallas Mavericks, while the Brooklyn Nets are also going full steam ahead on their efforts to lose games for the rest of the way.
The NBA has already attempted to address this issue by flattening the lottery odds in recent years, which resulted in postseason teams getting the number one overall pick in two straight drafts over the last couple of seasons.
However, clearly, that has not dissuaded teams from putting objectively pathetic products on the floor in order to marginally increase their chances of reeling in blue-chip prospects in June.
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