Former Suns GM James Jones addresses tanking situation in NBA

Now serving as the NBA’s executive vice president and head of basketball operations, Jones recently addressed why the league continues adjusting lottery and tanking rules. His explanation revealed something bigger than draft positioning: the modern NBA may be too talented for traditional tanking models to make sense anymore.

Jones argued that many teams with losing records are not actually devoid of talent. Instead, injuries, poor coaching decisions, chemistry problems, or uneven roster construction can derail otherwise competitive teams. In previous eras, the league’s worst teams often lacked NBA-caliber depth entirely. Today, even rebuilding franchises feature players capable of starring on any given night.

Scoring depth across the league continues to rise, young talent is entering the NBA more prepared than ever, and playoff races routinely remain crowded deep into the season. The gap between elite and struggling teams has narrowed significantly. For fans, that changes how losing is viewed. Supporters no longer accept obvious rebuilding strategies as easily because the expectation of competitiveness exists almost everywhere. Markets like Phoenix understand this pressure firsthand. Fans invest emotionally and financially into teams expecting effort, not strategic losing disguised as long-term planning. That is why Jones’ comments resonate nationally.

The NBA is trying to protect competitive balance while discouraging organizations from gaming the system. The challenge now is philosophical as much as strategic: how does a league reward rebuilding without encouraging losing? That question may define the NBA’s next era more than any single draft class ever could.