Right now, one of the hottest topics in the NBA is whether some teams are allegedly “tanking” games to improve their draft positions. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was asked about it on Tuesday.
Some accusations have been made that the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards are intentionally losing games to secure the No. 1 draft pick. Kerr addressed the “tanking” issue head-on while admitting that his team is “desperately trying to win.”
Warriors HC Steve Kerr Dismisses the Idea of ‘Tanking’ Games
On Tuesday, Kerr met with reporters, and this topic came up in the conversation. Warriors beat reporter Joseph Dycus of the Mercury News recorded Kerr’s comments and posted them on X.
“We’re desperately trying to win,” Kerr said. “Not only for each game but put ourselves in the position to be healthy come the playoffs. So, our situation is the exact opposite. We’ve got older players.
“Sometimes, we go into a game thinking if we play him tonight, we need Steph (Curry) or Al (Horford) or Draymond (Green), the repercussions on the end could be negative for us,” Kerr continued.
“So, we’re actually in the habit of trying to preserve our guys for the betterment of our record,” Kerr said. “Every team paces their own circumstances and I’m going to deal with ours and let everybody else deal with theirs.
“We’re desperate to win.”
“This year it’s more pronounced.”
Steve Kerr on tanking in the NBA. He makes it clear the Warriors have ZERO interest in tanking. pic.twitter.com/ToABJ96tPm
— Joseph Dycus (@joseph_dycus) February 10, 2026
“Like it is this year because of the play-in, the more teams felt like they were in it,” Kerr said. “And this year, it’s pronounced just because of the circumstances where a lot of teams are…injuries, starting rebuild, that sort of thing.
“I know the league is really concerned about it as it should be,” Kerr said. “It’s not good for the fans, for the league itself. They’re considering everything. It’s a really tough issue.”
Right now, the Warriors are 29-25 overall, four games behind the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA’s Pacific Division. The Golden State has had to play some games this season after Jimmy Butler III went down with a season-ending injury.
The Warriors, though, made a trade at the NBA trade deadline to pick up center Kristaps Porziņģis from the Atlanta Hawks, hoping that he can help fill the void left by Butler’s absence. But Porziņģis is currently dealing with an injury, too, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be in the Warriors’ lineup until after the All-Star break, which hits later this week.
Before the break, though, on Wednesday night, the Warriors will host Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
