NBA's Three Proposals to Combat Intentional Losing

As is widely known, the NBA is exploring new measures to combat "tanking" – the practice of intentionally losing games to increase the probability of securing a better draft position at the end of the season. This strategy has become increasingly prevalent among weaker teams in the league, those undergoing restructuring, or those whose playoff aspirations have been derailed by key injuries during a particular season. According to ESPN, three distinct proposals were presented at the League's most recent Board of Governors meeting, following a promise made by Commissioner Adam Silver.

On Wednesday, after the unanimous vote to expand from 30 to 32 clubs and the potential inclusion of Seattle and Las Vegas into the NBA, Silver was unequivocal when addressing the topic with reporters, stating that the League would "fix this. Period." The proposals now on the table represent the first concrete attempt to fulfill that promise.

The first suggestion involves an 18-team draft lottery. This model would include the 10 teams that failed to qualify for the play-in tournament and the eight teams that participated in it. The 10 worst teams would have equal odds of winning the lottery (the draw for the draft), while the remaining eight would have their chances distributed in descending order of their standings.

The second proposal put forward by Silver is more comprehensive, extending the lottery to 22 clubs. In addition to the 18 teams from the first model, the four teams eliminated in the first round of the playoffs would be added. In this scenario, teams' lottery seeding would be based on their combined record over the past two seasons, with the first four picks being drawn.

Finally, the third option reverts to an 18-club format but with a different structure. The five teams with the worst records would have equal odds. A draw would be held for the first five draft picks, followed by a second lottery for the remaining 13. A safeguard mechanism would ensure that any of the five worst teams that didn't secure a top-5 pick would, at minimum, receive a top-10 pick.

None of these proposals are final, and they are expected to be refined before being put to a vote in May. Despite the focus on eradicating tanking, Adam Silver himself acknowledged the complexity of the issue.

"There's an aspect of team building that's called genuine rebuilding, a rebuilding with integrity. The problem we have nowadays is that it's become almost impossible to distinguish between tanking and rebuilding," he explained.

It's worth remembering that several teams have faced accusations of tanking in recent seasons. In February, the Jazz and Pacers were even fined by the league for "flagrant" tanking behavior. The Jazz had already been sanctioned for similar suspicions the previous season. Even the champion Thunder, who managed to build a young, strong, and promising roster, did so largely through the draft, but only after having previously engaged in tanking.