Tanking has – unfortunately – returned to the center of the NBA debate. Reigniting the discussion was Charles Barkleywho during “Inside the NBA” laid out three very clear proposals to address what many believe is hurting the league’s competitive integrity.
Look at what they’re doing in Utah (Nurkic ruled out for the rest of the season due to nose surgery, ed.), look at what’s happening in Washington. Now even the Mavs are kind of tanking… First of all, tanking has always been part of the NBA, let’s be clear about that. But we’ve got to find a solution, because first and foremost it’s not fair to the game.
Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA
Hit owners in the wallet
Barkley starts here. If a team is losing on purpose to improve its NBA Draft position, it shouldn’t be allowed to charge fans more. The idea is simple: no ticket price increases if the team’s record is below .500. A direct way to protect paying customers and discourage losing strategies.
No NBA team should be able to raise ticket prices if they’re below .500. You can’t raise prices if you’re under .500. And honestly, that should apply to every sport.
Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA
A fairer Lottery
According to Barkley, giving worse teams better odds encourages tanking. His solution? Equal chances for all non-playoff teams. That way, the worst record would no longer guarantee a meaningful advantage, and losing wouldn’t be a shortcut.
Every team in the Lottery should have one ping-pong ball. They shouldn’t give you better odds. The team with the worst record has only gotten the No. 1 pick twice in the last 25 years. Give everybody one ball if you miss the playoffs.
Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA
No more protected picks
Here, the former champion points the finger at protected picks, often used to manipulate long-term strategies. Eliminating protections would make trades more transparent and less tied to opportunistic calculations.
If you trade a pick, it’s gone. No more top-three or top-seven protections. That way teams can’t manipulate the system.
Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA
These reflections are finding traction among former executives as well. Voices like Bobby Marksnow an analyst but previously a front-office executive with the Brooklyn Nets, and minority owner Mark Cuban share the sense that the league isn’t doing enough.
The point, in their view, isn’t just acknowledging the problem but taking concrete action. Otherwise, the risk is that tanking becomes an accepted strategy rather than an exception to be corrected.
Even Commissioner Adam Silver has ultimately admitted that tanking is a serious issue. The solutions are there. Now the question is whether the NBA will have the courage to truly change the rules of the game.
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