The last few seasons in the NBA have brought the tanking discussion into focus. The 2025-26 NBA season was no exception, with multiple teams trying to increase their odds in the lottery, and fines were even handed down to the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers.
Now, the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver are trying to eliminate such tanking actions. The NBA Board of Governors on Thursday passed new anti-tanking rules, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Some of the changes that will take effect include the lottery going from 14 to 16 teams, a relegation zone including penalties for the top-three teams, and flattened odds, among others.
The NBA makes an unprecedented move in American pro sports league by punishing the very worst teams in the draft lottery and creating a new system to incentivize winning — after months of meetings and conversations among league, ownership and team stakeholders. A radical response… https://t.co/GBKrZzc69x
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 28, 2026
The "3-2-1 lottery" is named to represent the number of lottery balls per team. Teams with a bottom-three record — the relegation area — have only two lottery balls. Teams that do not qualify for the playoffs or play-in tournament in spots four through 10 receive three lottery… https://t.co/H1BYVdQGra
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 28, 2026
The league’s anti-tanking measures are something that has picked up a lot of steam lately, and the new changes will begin in the 2027 NBA Draft and last through 2029, for now.
Here’s an interesting tidbit from Charania: “No one will be able to win the No. 1 in consecutive years or be able to win three consecutive top-five picks.”
This year, the Washington Wizards landed the top pick, and they were one of three teams with 14% odds, which was the highest.
So, at long last, Silver and the NBA have cracked down officially on the tanking efforts.
