According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the NBA plans to make anti-tanking rule changes for the 2026-27 regular season. Here’s what you need to know about the league’s plan and how this could change the game in the near future.
NBA Plans To Make Anti-Tanking Rule Changes
On Thursday, Underdog NBA took to X, formerly Twitter, to report to the general public, “Shams (Charania): NBA plans to make anti-tanking rule changes this season.”
Underdog NBA’s report on X attracted ample attention from the professional basketball world. One X user wrote, “(Indiana) Pacers still getting number 1 this year, don’t matter.” Another X user responded, “The Utah Jazz trembling right now.”
NBA’s Plans To Prevent Teams From Tanking
Tanking has been a controversial topic in recent days. Will the league’s plans prevent teams from tanking? Only time will tell.
Multiple sources told Charania and ESPN that multiple ideas were proposed as brainstorming measures to combat tanking, including limiting draft pick protections to either the top four or 14 and higher, which would eliminate rather problematic mid-draft lottery protections, no longer allowing a team to draft in the top four for two straight years, and locking draft lottery positions after March 1.
The multiple ideas, which came from the league and the league’s high-ranking officials, would likely deter bottom-feeder teams from sitting their starters for regular-season games, while providing reasons to try winning games, particularly during the second half of a season.
NBA’s Plan Heads To the Board Of Governors
Aside from the anti-tanking rules, the league office also presented the idea to the NBA Board of Governors. Multiple examples of protected draft picks potentially impacting the finishes of recent seasons were provided.
For example, the 2022-23 Dallas Mavericks, who were still mathematically alive for a Play-In Tournament spot, decided to rest Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic against the San Antonio Spurs in the final game. In the previous game against the Chicago Bulls, Irving didn’t play, and Doncic played just 12 minutes.
The Mavs lost both games. The team was ultimately fined $750,000 for detrimental conduct, but they kept their draft pick and traded down two spots with the Oklahoma City Thunder to select Duke star Dereck Lively II with the 12th overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft.
