The NBA has put forward a set of measures that would give commissioner Adam Silver major power over punishing teams that he deems to be tanking.
The league has introduced three potential reforms which would apply to the 2027 NBA Draft lottery if approved. While the lottery would be expanded to as many as 22 teams, Silver would have the power to either strip the team of its draft pick or move it to the end of the lottery, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
The NBPA has put forward its own proposals, but appear to be aligned with the league on the idea of stripping teams of their picks if necessary.
And lastly, the union and other league figures are pushing to employ additional penalties to punish blatant tanking. Such as reducing a team's lottery odds, moving their pick to the end of the lottery or the first round, or stripping them of their first-round selection.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) March 27, 2026
Tanking has received a renewed focus this year, with multiple teams seemingly aiming for a higher draft pick instead of trying to win games. Two teams received hefty fines for tanking earlier this year, but it will likely take harsher penalties than that to get teams to stop engaging in behavior that fundamentally benefits them if they do well in the lottery.
Silver’s task is made more complicated by the fact that even some fans are comfortable with the idea of their teams tanking. The threat of stripping teams of their pick is a serious one, but teams might be wary of giving Silver the power to do that arbitrarily.
