NBA Unveils New Anti‑Tanking Concepts

On Wednesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver declared that the league would end tanking, a promise that came two months into his tenure. The next day, the NBA leaked a set of draft‑lottery concepts that have drawn confusion and skepticism from teams and fans alike.

The concepts include flattening the odds from 14% to 8% for the top pick, expanding the number of top picks from four to as many as 18, and enlarging the draft pool from 14 to 22 teams by adding play‑in and first‑round losers. Other ideas are a WNBA‑style two‑year record average, a win‑floor to prevent a race to the bottom, a tiered 5‑by‑5 draw, and a pre‑lotto floor assignment to randomize the lowest pick a team can receive. While each idea has merit, critics argue the mechanics do not fully address the underlying incentive problem.