The question of tanking is on the minds of a lot of NBA fans and executives lately, and the Indiana Pacers appear to be no different.
Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban authored a lengthy X post on Tuesday urging the NBA to “embrace” tanking. Cuban argued that the league should focus more on creating memorable game experiences for fans, and that diehards would draw “hope” from the possibility of getting a high draft pick and a potential franchise-changing player.
Cuban’s post drew notice from around the sport. One of those who saw it is Pacers president Kevin Pritchard, who openly asked Pacers fans if they agreed with Cuban’s stance.
Curious…do @pacers fans agree?
— Kevin Pritchard (@PacersKev) February 17, 2026
Pritchard even replied to several Pacers fans, many of whom said they were okay with the idea of the Pacers tanking. The overwhelming sentiment was that it’s better to be bad and get a high draft pick than be stuck in mediocrity, a sentiment Pritchard said he agreed with.
I agree. Thanks D
— Kevin Pritchard (@PacersKev) February 17, 2026
The Pacers are in a unique spot relative to the rest of the NBA’s worst teams. They were an NBA Finals team last season, but Tyrese Haliburton’s injury essentially wiped out their chances of contending this year. They now sit at 15-40 and have a chance to land a high draft pick while also getting Haliburton back next year. From that perspective, tanking seems like a no-brainer.
Pritchard likely has some added incentive to poll his fans since the Pacers were one of the teams fined for tanking earlier this month. The subset that he responded to certainly seem to be okay with it.
