Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green took aim at the NBA for being too soft on tanking.
Green reacted after the Sacramento Kings pulled a blatant tanking move during Tuesday’s game against the Warriors by seemingly fouling Seth Curry intentionally despite holding a 1-point lead with 3:15 to go in regulation. The Warriors wound up winning 110-105, and Green called out just how ridiculous the situation was.
“I get fined when I do wrong. Just fine the hell out of people,” Green told reporters after the game. “We love taking money from players. Keep fining the teams. I’ve seen two fines. And we all know everybody tanking. But you’ve seen two fines. If it was players, snatch that money in a heartbeat. Why isn’t it the same? Everybody love money.
“We know exactly what to do when somebody gets a technical foul or suspended for a game. Now, all of the sudden, we’ve got team issues and we don’t know what to do. What happened to the whole take-the-money stuff? Everybody else trying to reach a quote too. But when it comes to player discipline, we want to snatch the money as fast as we can. When it comes to team discipline and we see 12 teams tanking, we’ve seen two fines. If my math serves me correctly that’s 10 that ain’t been fined.”
"I saw [the Kings] foul Seth Curry with three minutes to go for no reason! In the penalty!"
— KNBR (@KNBR) April 8, 2026
Draymond Green wants the NBA to start punishing teams for tanking.
"I get fined when I do wrong. Just fine the hell out of people. We love taking money from players. Keep fining the… pic.twitter.com/xI8bNpyI4L
The NBA fined both the Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz for tanking earlier in the season. It’s not clear which ten teams Green is referring to, but it’s safe to assume the Kings, Washington Wizards, and Brooklyn Nets are among them.
On the other hand, it’s fair to question whether fines would even have the desired effect. The temporary financial hit is likely worth taking as a consequence of trying to land a higher draft pick, which could pay off for an organization for years to come. That is why the NBA is proposing even more drastic measures going forward.
The NBA’s problem is that the benefits of tanking outweigh any drawbacks. That has to change if the NBA wants it to stop. Fines alone aren’t likely to be enough.
