Tanking has been a huge part of the NBA discourse in recent years, but it reached a fever this year when the league office handed out massive fines to the Utah Jazz ($500,000) and Indiana Pacers ($100,000) for conduct detrimental to the league.
Landing a superstar in the NBA Draft can change the course of a franchise, with Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs being a perfect example, so teams inevitably focus on the future and do what they can to improve their lottery odds.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has made it his mission to combat tanking. On Tuesday, his anti-tanking proposal leaked, and it’s a doozy that drew some strong reactions from the NBA world.
NBA World Rips Adam Silver’s Polarizing Anti-Tanking Proposal
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania provided the details of the anti-tanking plan.
“The NBA has disclosed to its 30 general managers a new anti-tanking, draft reform termed the ‘3-2-1 lottery’ that includes expanding the lottery to 16 teams, flattened odds, and a relegation zone where the bottom three teams will be penalized with fewer lottery balls for the No. 1 pick, starting with the 2027 draft, sources told ESPN on Tuesday,” writes Charania.
So not only would the lottery be expanded, but the bottom teams will have a lower chance of getting the No. 1 pick, which is obviously a massive change.
“The ‘3-2-1 lottery’ proposal, named to represent the number of lottery balls per team, would expand the lottery from 14 to 16 teams,” says Charania. “Teams that do not qualify for the playoffs or play-in tournament but stay out of the relegation zone (spots four through 10) would receive three lottery balls each. Teams with a bottom-three record — the relegation area — would have just two lottery balls but have a floor of the 12th pick, while the rest of the 13 lottery teams could fall as far as the 16th pick.
“The 9th and 10th play-in seeds in each conference receive two lottery balls each while the losers of the 7-8 play-in games receive one lottery ball each.”
Also, teams would be banned from winning the top pick in consecutive years or landing three consecutive top-five picks. Immediately, the reaction from the NBA world was overwhelmingly negative.
“This is one of the dumbest commissioners of all-time,” wrote NBA influencer Pranav Sriraman.
This is one of the dumbest commissioners of all-time. https://t.co/nsTE70Kuli
— Pranav Sriraman (@PranavSriraman) April 28, 2026
“This is genuinely one of the dumbest things I have ever seen,” wrote a Houston Rockets podcaster. “I maintain tanking outrage is ENTIRELY performative.”
This is genuinely one of the dumbest things I have ever seen. I maintain tanking outrage is ENTIRELY performative. https://t.co/iB758sT2tu
— ᵂᴵᴸᴸ (@BiasedHouston) April 28, 2026
Others agreed that this is an all-time poor idea.
“One of the worst decisions ever made by a professional sports league,” one influencer wroter. “Truly league ruining implications all to stop an issue that doesn’t exist.”
One of the worst decisions ever made by a professional sports league. Truly league ruining implications all to stop an issue that doesn’t exist https://t.co/bIcBn8Ts04
— wonzo🧀 (@WonzoTV) April 28, 2026
Longtime NBA analyst Rachel Nichols doesn’t understand the logic either.
“Sooo… what you’re saying is that now the worst teams with the least talent will have even less of a chance to get better,” wrote Nichols.
Sooo… what you’re saying is that now the worst teams with the least talent will have even less of a chance to get better. https://t.co/M9C3B4RBia
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) April 28, 2026
NewsDaySports’ Steve Popper also explained why this is not a good idea.
“This is not the answer,” Popper wrote. “Teams of engineers and scientists work for this: a system that gets a few more teams to tank if they are in 8th place and if you’re a legitimate terrible team you have a worse chance at improving than the team that slips into the lottery?”
Six Rings of Steel points out that teams that drop this year are going to have issues in the future.
“The teams that drop in this years lottery will be screwed long-term,” he writes.
“relegation zone where the bottom 3 teams are penalized with fewer lottery balls for the No. 1 pick,” another basketball infleuncer added. “I guess if you are simply a bad team you have no choice but to suck for eternity.”
“relegation zone where the bottom 3 teams are penalized with fewer lottery balls for the No. 1 pick.”
I guess if you are simply a bad team you have no choice but to suck for eternity https://t.co/2UTnwmkU0B
— KingCharge (@KingCharge) April 28, 2026
Fans of the league are obviously hoping Silver and Co. change their mind and scrap this plan. This kind of massive overhaul would have unintended consequences that could hurt the league far more than tanking has in recent years.
