Jason Burgos
A new report reveals the rumored option many around the NBA are hoping to use to end tanking, as well as new ideas the players’ association is in favor of seeing instituted.
Tanking in the NBA is nothing new. However, with the 2026 NBA Draft projected to have one of the best prospect classes in many years, close to a dozen teams have fully embraced the strategy over the final two minutes of the season. It has gotten to the point where teams like the Utah Jazz have even benched healthy impact players in fourth quarters to ensure a loss.
It has frustrated NBA fans and enraged commissioner Adam Silver. Now, stopping the 2026 battle for the bottom from happening in future seasons is a top priority. This week, ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed the three ideas expected to be presented at the next Board of Governors meeting to try to end the practice.
On Saturday, Jake Fischer offered new insight into what opinions around the league are on those three ideas. According to the NBA insider, two popular ideas expected to be pitched are the 10 teams left out of the play-in, all having an 8% chance at the No. 1 pick. The concept “had been strong among numerous general managers and owners even before this Board of Governors session was convened,” Fischer wrote.
Many also like the idea of the lottery being expanded to 18 teams to include the play-in participants. Fischer also added that the “league hopes [having 18 clubs] would incentivize teams to try to stay competitive until the end of the regular season.”
NBAPA wants to use the EPL model to incentivize winning
The insider reports that the three ideas are just concepts, and what the league decides to go with could be a mix of parts from the three pitches.
Fischer also added that if the 18-team idea were used, players would like to see the “10-worst teams share an equal 7% chance at the No. 1 overall pick rather than 8%. With the other eight teams in the lottery all sharing a 3.75% chance at the top selection.”
Furthermore, players would like to see the NBA copy the English Premier League model to incentivize winning. In that setup, franchises could get “an additional $10 million slice of the league’s national television revenue based on where teams finish 1-to-30 in the standings.”
