Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

NBA's Anti-Tanking Ideas Draw Attention

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Christian Alamodin | Last updated Feb 19, 2026 8:04 PM ET

The NBA is still struggling to deal with teams that are intentionally losing games to grab the first overall pick. The Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers are two recent examples of teams deliberately tanking to increase their odds of landing the top pick in the 2026 Draft.

The league is trying to address the issue to keep the brand of basketball showcased to fans as competitive and entertaining as possible. Various anti-tanking measures have been proposed for years, with some prominent voices in the basketball community sharing their two cents on the matter.

However, no changes were introduced. It's only recently that Adam Silver and the league office presented the 30 NBA governors with potential changes that would make tanking a thing of the past.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media.Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Shams Charania first broke the news, and the proposed measures are interesting. Some of the most notable changes include a freeze on lottery odds after the trade deadline and new lottery-related rulings.

Multiple sources with knowledge of Thursday's GM meeting as well as a late January Competition Committee meeting told ESPN that the following concepts have been discussed to curb tanking:

•First-round picks can be protected only top-4 or top-14+
•Lottery odds freeze at the… https://t.co/Vk2n1cSzde
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 19, 2026

Fans were quick to share their thoughts on the proposed changes.

One fan was especially excited about the concept of a lottery odds freeze. "Freezing lottery odds at the trade deadline would stop late-season funny business," they wrote.

On the other hand, a Pacers fan felt like some of the proposed measures targeted their team. "So if you make the conference finals and your star player leaves hypothetically in the offseason, you can't be a [top-four] team? Give me a break," they complained.

Another fan echoed their sentiments, saying, "I see the anti-Pacers rule in there."

A commenter immediately referred to the Pacers-Jazz situation as the inciting incident for these proposed changes. "Adam Silver saw the Jazz and Pacers lineups last week and decided to reset the whole league," they commented.

One fan couldn't hold their anger towards the proposed changes. "Adam Silver is a [expletive] [expletive]," they tweeted. "Just give the worst teams the top picks. The NBA is the only league with a draft problem because of this [expletive] lottery system."

A commenter didn't see the problem in the draft, but they highlighted something else as the major issue. "Why does everyone ignore that tanking isn't the real issue and the real issue is the season goes on for 2-3 months too long?" they asked.

Should these changes take effect next year, they will impact how the teams will approach 2027 Draft.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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