Suns Owner Unloads on 'Loser' NBA Teams Tanking

The NBA's inability to prevent teams from tanking has once again made its way into discussions, which were recently highlighted by commissioner Adam Silver.

Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia didn't hold back on his comments regarding teams intentionally losing to gain a better draft pick, especially when it comes to shutting out some of the league's best players.

"This is ridiculous! Tanking is losing behavior done by losers," Ishbia said when quoting a Yahoo! article that dove into why teams are intentionally tanking.

"Purposely losing is something nobody should want to be associated with. Embarrassing for the league and for the organizations. And the talk about this as a 'strategy' is ridiculous. If you are a bad team, you get a good pick. That makes sense. But purposely shutting down players and purposely losing games is a disgrace and impacts the integrity of whole league."

Even with NBA betting scandals making the rounds in recent memory, Ishbia says the deliberate losing is worse.

"This is much worse than any prop bet scandal. This is throwing games strategically. Horrible for fans that pay to watch and cheer on their team. And horrible for all the real teams that are competing for playoff spots," he continued.

"Awful behavior that Adam Silver and the NBA will need to stop with massive changes, and I have complete confidence that with his leadership, he will fix it. Those of us in a position of influence need to speak out… the only 'strategy' is doing right by fans, players, and the NBA community."

For reference, it's not even possible for the Suns to tank within the next few years after trading away plenty of future assets to ensure it happens.

That's not to suggest Ishbia would given different circumstances, as he's made the best of his current situation after cleaning up prior mistakes from Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal trades.

The Suns did dip under the NBA luxury tax line this year. If they can stay under through next season, they'll reset their tax clock (overspending in three-of-four years) and regain some flexibility in terms of player acquistion.

Still, Ishbia echoes a sentiment many around the NBA feel. The overall integrity of the game is ruined when teams are intentionally losing in a lottery system that won't guarantee them the first overall pick.

This season, unfortunately, has reared its ugly head in that very talking point.