Report: NBA Plans To Implement New Anti-Tanking Rules In Offseason
Feb 19, 2026, 5:42 PM | Updated: Feb 20, 2026, 2:23 pm
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 14: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks at a press conference during 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome on February 14, 2026 in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the GettyImages License Agreement. (Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images)
With the topic of tanking and integrity in the NBA taking over on social media, the league has decided to step in and do something about it, according to reports.
ESPN Insider Shams Charania broke the news that commissioner Adam Silver contacted every team to inform them that the league plans to implement new anti-tanking rule changes.
Commissioner Adam Silver informed the league’s 30 general managers on Thursday that the NBA plans to make anti-tanking rule changes for next season, sources tell ESPN. Stakeholders have intensified dialogue about combatting tanking.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 19, 2026
What Led To New Tanking Rules?
Despite over four decades of tanking and strategic losing to improve draft position, the topic has really caught fire in the current 2025-26 NBA season.
The 2026 draft class is said to be one of the best in recent memory, and nearly a third of the league is fighting to get a better position in the lottery.
Prior to the All-Star break, the NBA fined the Utah Jazz and the Indiana Pacers for their use of tanking strategies. In his availability on Saturday, February 14, Silver answered multiple questions on the topic.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver NBA All-Star 2026 Media Availability pic.twitter.com/x3Lez3wdM0
— NBA (@NBA) February 15, 2026
What Could The New Rules Be?
One of the most common ideas to curb tanking is removing protections on picks between 4 and 14. Since the top-four picks are all determined by ping pong balls in the lottery, this change would help to prevent teams from trying to inauthentically land in a specific range.
However, a side effect of this is that the trade market might slow down as teams are far more hesitant to trade first-round picks.
Charania outlined more potential rule changes in a later post.
•First-round picks can be protected only top-4 or top-14+
•Lottery odds freeze at the trade deadline or a later date
•No longer allowing a team to pick top 4 in consecutive years and/or after consecutive bottom-3 finishes
•Teams can’t pick top-4 the year after making conference finals
•Lottery odds allocated based on two-year records
•Lottery extended to include all play-in teams
•Flatten odds for all lottery teams
Two of the rules mentioned seem to be indirectly pointed at the Pacers, who the league fined less than two weeks ago. Indiana made the conference finals with 50 wins last season, and due to an injury to their star player, now find themselves in the lottery.
If the conference finals or two-year record rule were implemented, Indiana would be blocked from picking in the top-four and also have some of the worst odds to even land at fifth.
How Will Teams Respond?
The draft lottery was introduced in 1985. Since then, the system has undergone large changes a handful of times.
Still, without fail, teams try to find their way to the bottom as rebuilding through the draft consistently proves to be the best way to find success, especially for smaller markets that don’t have the free-agent appeal of Los Angeles or New York.
In all likelihood, patching one loophole will just open two more. That said, some of the rules listed above do seem like they will help curb it at least a bit.
But, as long as losing increases the odds of landing a franchise-altering player, teams will test the boundaries of whatever system exists. The league can adjust the math, but it cannot eliminate the incentive.
