Former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban challenged the NBA’s anti-tanking efforts on Wednesday, using social media to ask why the league still allows in-season contract buyouts if it wants every team to compete for wins.
“It will be interesting to see if the @nba, as part of the anti tanking push, will eliminate in season buyouts,” Cuban wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Feb. 21, 2026. He highlighted that “teams above the aprons can’t sign bought out players above the MLE,” a restriction he said identifies those players as “high value.”
Cuban argued that waiving productive veterans near the end of the schedule effectively strengthens contending clubs that sign those players, undercutting the league’s attempt to discourage losing on purpose. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has recently acknowledged that tanking “has gotten worse,” prompting renewed discussion about competitive integrity.
The post marks the latest instance of Cuban publicly questioning the NBA’s roster-management rules during the stretch run of the regular season.
Source: Hoops Wire
