NBA considering this rule change due to teams exploiting loophole
The NBA is reportedly considering a rule on tanking in order to gain a more favourable Draft pick.
The NBA is reportedly exploring possible rule changes aimed at reducing the practice of “tanking,” where teams strategically lose games late in the season to increase their odds of landing a draft pick higher up the list.
While tanking has long been a hot topic in professional basketball, recent controversies have intensified calls for rule changes.
Reports of teams resting key players down the stretch of a season to secure better lottery positions have caused frustration among fans and league officials, with strategies even linked to legal scrutiny around gambling, shining the spotlight on how teams manage player availability and how betting markets respond to such information.
At a recent Board of Governors meeting, the NBA floated several potential measures to limit incentives for teams to intentionally lose. One proposal would restrict traded draft pick protections to either top-4 or 14 and higher, eliminating the current “mid-lottery” protection bands that can motivate teams to lose games to maintain favourable pick obligations.
Another idea under consideration would prevent a team from being awarded a top-4 selection in consecutive seasons. League executives believe this could put an end to extended tanking stretches, in which franchises might otherwise enter multi-year rebuilds focused more on draft positioning than on winning.
A third potential reform would see the league “lock” lottery positions after a certain date. By establishing permanent draft standings long before the regular season concludes, teams would have less incentive to manipulate late-season playing time or rest star talent simply to worsen their record for better picks.
The issue of tanking has played out in recent seasons in ways that frustrated fans and pundits. In 2023, the Dallas Mavericks were fined for resting stars in games that affected draft pick protections, and franchises like the Utah Jazz have drawn criticism for resting key players late in seasons when draft interests were at stake.
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