NBA Seeks Feedback on Measures to Curb Tanking
nba-seeks-feedback-on-measures-to-curb-tanking
The NBA has started polling team owners and general managers about several potential rule changes designed to discourage deliberate losing, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported. League officials presented the ideas during a Board of Governors meeting last Friday.
Key proposals under consideration
• Limit pick protections: Traded first-round selections would be allowed to carry only top-four or top-14 protections, eliminating the current “mid-lottery” safeguards that often incentivize late-season losing.
• No back-to-back top-four picks: A franchise would be barred from selecting in the top four of the draft in consecutive years.
• Freeze lottery order on March 1: Draft lottery odds would be locked as of that date, reducing the benefit of sitting veterans over the final weeks.
The league hopes the changes would curb roster manipulation aimed at securing higher picks or retaining protected selections while still allowing rebuilding clubs to rely on young lineups.
Recent examples driving the discussion
One of the most cited cases came in 2023, when the Mavericks withheld key players to keep a top-10 protected pick owed to the Knicks, despite remaining in contention for the play-in tournament. The rule limiting pick protections directly targets scenarios like that.
If the consecutive top-four ban had already existed, it would have affected teams such as the Rockets—who drafted Jalen Green (2021), Jabari Smith Jr. (2022), Amen Thompson (2023) and Reed Sheppard (2024) in the top four—and the Spurs, who selected Victor Wembanyama (2023), Stephon Castle (2024) and Dylan Harper (2025) in that range.
Gambling concerns add urgency
Federal investigators recently alleged that an unnamed co-conspirator—matching the description of Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups—tipped off a bettor about Portland resting players in March 2023. The probe also led to the arrests of Heat guard Terry Rozier and former player-coach Damon Jones on illegal gambling charges.
In response, the NBA last week circulated a memo outlining tighter injury-reporting procedures and potential adjustments to prop-bet offerings. League executives view stricter anti-tanking rules as another step toward limiting opportunities for gamblers to exploit inside information.
No formal vote on the proposed measures has been scheduled, and the topic is expected to resurface at future Board of Governors meetings.
Source: Hoops Rumors
