NBA Considering Definitive Measures to Stop Tanking

The NBA is actively considering new measures to combat the practice of "tanking," where teams intentionally lose games late in the season to improve their odds of securing a top pick in the NBA Draft. The league has historically struggled with this issue, despite previous adjustments to draft lottery odds designed to discourage losing.

According to a report by ESPN's Shams Charania, citing unnamed sources, the league is seriously discussing potential solutions. The report highlights specific teams, including the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, and Portland Trail Blazers, as recent examples of organizations accused of engaging in this behavior.

A notable case mentioned involves the Portland Trail Blazers. The report references government documents from a separate criminal case, which allege that an unnamed co-conspirator matching the description of then-Head Coach Chauncey Billups informed a bettor that several Trail Blazers players would miss a March 2023 game as the team began to intentionally lose. The Blazers proceeded to lose nine of their final ten games, finishing with the league's fifth-worst record.

While specific proposed measures are not detailed in the provided text, the report indicates that no official strategies have been adopted yet. Discussions on the matter are expected to continue and intensify throughout the remainder of the NBA season.