NBA Plans New Anti-Tanking Rules for 2026-27, Adam Silver Tells General Managers
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Commissioner Adam Silver informed all 30 NBA general managers on Thursday that the league will introduce new measures to discourage tanking before the 2026-27 season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Charania reported that Silver spoke forcefully during the conference call, reiterating comments he made at his All-Star Weekend press conference where he said the league was examining “every possible remedy” to curb intentional losing.
The Athletic’s Sam Amick corroborated the account. A source present at the meeting told Amick there was unanimous agreement among Silver, league office officials and GMs that persistent tanking threatens the NBA’s integrity and long-term health. “We’re all to blame,” one general manager said, per Amick.
Mike Krzyzewski, the former Duke coach who now serves as the league’s special adviser for basketball operations, praised the managers for acknowledging the problem and urged them to prepare for the forthcoming rules, Amick added. Krzyzewski frequently attends both GM gatherings and competition committee sessions.
Although the NBA flattened draft-lottery odds in 2019, teams have continued to position themselves near the bottom of the standings when a draft class is perceived as particularly strong. League officials and team representatives discussed several potential changes during January’s competition committee meeting and again on Thursday’s call, including:
- Limiting first-round pick protections to either top-four or top-14-plus designations.
- Preventing clubs from receiving top-four selections in consecutive drafts or after back-to-back bottom-three finishes.
- Barring teams from drafting in the top four if they reached the conference finals the previous season.
- Locking lottery odds at the trade deadline—or a later, unspecified date.
- Further flattening odds for all lottery participants.
- Basing lottery odds on combined records over a two-year span.
- Expanding the lottery to include all eight play-in teams rather than only the four that miss the playoffs.
CBS Sports writer Sam Quinn later argued on social media that each of the proposed adjustments carries flaws, though no formal decisions have been announced.
Silver indicated the final rules are expected to be in place for the 2026-27 campaign.
Source: Hoops Rumors
