NBA to consider sweeping anti-tanking reforms after rising concerns

Tanking has long been a contentious undercurrent in the National Basketball Association (NBA), but this season the issue has moved squarely into the spotlight. Recent fines issued to the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers for holding out players in games the league believed they should have participated in before the All-Star break have intensified scrutiny around competitive integrity.

The optics of teams managing lineups late in the season are nothing new, particularly when playoff hopes dim and draft positioning comes into focus. However, league officials believe the current environment has crossed a line — one that threatens fan trust, broadcast value, and the spirit of competition.

Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the matter candidly during a recent media availability, acknowledging both the historical roots of tanking and the league’s growing concern about its current trajectory.

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“It’s been part of this league for a long time. Are we seeing behavior that is worse this year than we have seen in recent memory? Yes, is my view. What we are doing, what we are seeing right now is not working. There is no question about it,” Silver said on the issue.

Silver’s remarks reflect a belief inside league offices that previous reforms — including flattened lottery odds introduced in 2019 — have not fully eliminated incentives for teams to bottom out in pursuit of premium draft selections.

According to ESPN and NBA insider Shams Charania, the commissioner has already begun laying the groundwork for significant structural changes. Charania reported on X (formerly known as Twitter):

Multiple sources with knowledge of Thursday’s GM meeting as well as a late January Competition Committee meeting told ESPN that the following concepts have been discussed to curb tanking:

•First-round picks can be protected only top-4 or top-14+
•Lottery odds freeze at the… https://t.co/Vk2n1cSzde

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 19, 2026

“Commissioner Adam Silver informed the league’s 30 general managers on Thursday that the NBA plans to make anti-tanking rule changes for next season. Stakeholders have intensified dialogue about combatting tanking.”

The discussions, which reportedly took place during a general managers meeting and a late January Competition Committee session, explored a wide range of proposals aimed at curbing the incentive to lose intentionally. Among the concepts under review:

• First-round picks can be protected only top-4 or top-14+ 
• Lottery odds freeze at the trade deadline or a later date 
• No longer allowing a team to pick top 4 in consecutive years and/or after consecutive bottom-3 finishes 
• Teams can’t pick top-4 the year after making conference finals 
• Lottery odds allocated based on two-year records 
• Lottery extended to include all play-in teams 
• Flatten odds for all lottery teams 

While none of these measures have been finalized, their scope underscores how seriously the league is treating the issue. Some proposals would directly limit how frequently struggling franchises can capitalize on poor finishes, while others aim to dilute the marginal advantage of finishing with one of the league’s worst records.

The broader objective, as reiterated during the GM meeting, is to safeguard competitive balance without punishing legitimate rebuilding efforts. Tanking often exists in a gray area — teams may cite player development, injury management, or long-term roster planning as justification for decisions that ultimately improve draft positioning. But when high-profile players sit despite being healthy, the league’s credibility and fan confidence come into question.

Silver, league officials, and all 30 team executives reportedly emphasized their shared responsibility to preserve the integrity of the sport. With television partners, sponsors, and fans increasingly vocal about late-season competitiveness, the NBA appears poised to pursue tangible reform.

Whether through lottery restructuring, draft pick limitations, or multi-year performance evaluations, change appears inevitable. For a league that prides itself on parity and star power, the message from the commissioner’s office is clear: the current system is not producing the desired competitive outcomes — and the status quo will not stand for long.

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