NBA Weighs Stripping or Moving First-Round Picks to Punish Tanking

New punitive measures are the centerpiece of the latest anti-tanking push, with the NBA weighing penalties that could include taking away or moving a first-round pick as a sanction.

“NBA seriously weighs a revamp of its Draft to curb derailments tied to tanking”

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The ideas were presented to the Board of Governors alongside three draft-lottery concepts and are not yet final, with modifications expected before a formal vote in May.

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Commissioner Adam Silver has said, 'We are going to fix it, full stop,' acknowledging the need to curb incentives that encourage teams to lose games.

Proposal No. 1 would expand the lottery to 18 teams: the bottom 10 that miss the play-in tournament and the eight that qualify for it would all enter the lottery.

Each of the bottom 10 would have an equal 8% chance at the top pick, while the remaining 20% would be split among the eight play-in teams in descending order from 11th through 18th.

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All 18 spots would be drawn as part of the lottery in that format.

Proposal No. 2 would push the pool to 22 teams: the bottom 10 that miss the play-in, the eight that qualify for it, and the four playoff teams that lose in the first round would all be included, with lotteries weighted by a two-year record.

“NBA reportedly proposing harsher penalties for tanking, including taking away or moving back first-round picks The league's anti-tanking effort goes beyond lottery reform In addition to proposing NBA proposed implementing harsher penalties -- including taking away a team's first-round pick -- for tanking, according to The Athletic's Joe Vardon”

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A minimum win-floor per season would apply, so a team that fails to meet the floor in one year cannot excessively exploit weaker results; for example, a 14-68 season could count as a 20- or 25-win equivalent for lottery purposes depending on the floor.

The top four picks would still be drawn as today, but the overall ranking would reflect two seasons of performance.

Proposal No. 3 is the “five-by-five” model: the same 18-team pool as in the first concept, but the bottom five teams would all have identical odds for the top five picks, with a separate lottery for those top five.

If the five worst teams fail to land within the top five, a second drawing ensures they cannot fall lower than 10th; after the top five are chosen, a second lottery determines the remaining order for the other 13 picks.

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