Tanking is one of the NBA’s most egregious yet effective strategies for building a contender. Teams have done it for decades, and even before Adam Silver’s time, the NBA has tried to curb it, but nothing has worked. In light of more teams doing it and finding loopholes around the NBA’s rules, Silver has now been pressed more than ever to do something about it.
What Did Adam Silver Have To Say About Tanking?
During his press conference on Feb. 14, Silver was asked by The Athletic’s David Aldridge whether there was any talk of “taking draft picks away” from teams that are tanking. Silver had a blunt response.
“There is talk about every possible remedy now to stop this behavior,” Silver said.
Adam Silver on possibly taking draft picks away rather than fining the teams:
“There is talk about every possible remedy now to stop this behavior” pic.twitter.com/WFVvjGQFcn
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) February 14, 2026
Silver elaborated further on the fact that tanking is, as he calls it, “worse this year,” while also humanizing teams that do it because they don’t want to be treadmill teams. He also added what would have to be done for the NBA to make any actual changes.
Adam Silver’s full response to tanking: pic.twitter.com/zxw6aET8vK
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) February 14, 2026
Of course tanking is a problem because it’s a bad product that fans don’t want to pay for, but teams do it especially during times where either a hot-shot prospect like Cooper Flagg will enter the league (like last year), or a bunch of really promising prospects who may not be on the same stratosphere as Flagg but are promising enough to help with a team’s future (like this year).
Silver and the league have also taken some PR hits because they have fined teams for blatant tanking, while others that are doing the same have remained unscathed. Utah and Indiana were fined for keeping their players on the bench during their games, while Washington isn’t punished for ruling Anthony Davis and Trae Young out for the season, even though everyone knows it’s for the same reason.
The other issue is that not everyone can be the Los Angeles Lakers or the New York Knicks, where stars choose to go play because of how appealing the markets are. The league’s best players don’t typically willingly join teams like the Utah Jazz or the Indiana Pacers. They will if those teams are good, but if they’re not, they’re out of luck, so what’s the best way to overcome that? Throwing the season away for a chance at drafting a franchise player.
Silver has to be careful about these modifications because if this system gets changed, it could be designed to keep bad, low-market teams bad, and that’s not fair. If it’s any consolation, fans may not like watching their teams lose, but they get it because of what’s to come. Taking that hope away from them might not be the smartest idea if the NBA is truly thinking about revenue.
As much as the NBA hates the art of tanking, this isn’t a black and white situation. So if they are serious about trying to change it up without making it worse, all that can be said to Silver and co is good luck.
