NBA tanking is the league’s worst-kept secret: a practice widely debated yet, in many cases, profitable. Teams like the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards are no longer hiding it, carefully managing veteran minutes to the point of near obstruction – all with one goal: worsen their record and climb the Draft Lottery standings.
While it’s true that today’s league has been shaped by teams willing to “bottom out” (just look at the young Oklahoma City Thunder or Victor Wembanyama’s arrival in San Antonio), the league is now exploring countermeasures to limit this competitive decline.
You could do it in two ways: there could be financial bonuses for every team. If the Wizards decide to say, ‘Yeah, we’re throwing these games away,’ then it should cost the players part of their salary, given the lack of effort. If that were the case, players would obviously care more
Bill Simmons
Among the most influential voices in the U.S. media landscape, Bill Simmons has proposed what feels like a merit-based revolution. According to the insider, losing should no longer be an unconditional advantage – especially when defeats turn into embarrassing blowouts. The idea? Penalize heavy losses.
Or, when it comes to franchises, for every loss by more than 15 points, you lose five Lottery balls
Bill Simmons
His vision outlines a bonus and malus system: franchises that choose to “throw” games could see their salary pools reduced or, even worse, lose valuable Lottery balls.
It’s a systemic paradox: building a contender often requires the Draft – as recent success stories like OKC prove – but rewarding deliberate mediocrity risks undermining the integrity of the game.
The challenge for the NBA will be finding a balance between the right to rebuild and the obligation to remain competitive, ensuring the court doesn’t become just a procedural step toward the future.
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