NBA Commissioner Adam Silver informed all 30 general managers Thursday that the league plans to implement new anti-tanking measures before next season, according to ESPN sources.
Silver was described as “forceful” in stressing his determination to address the issue.
The announcement came during a GM meeting focused on preserving competitive integrity, where league executives and team decision-makers discussed potential reforms.
Senior adviser Mike Krzyzewski urged swift action and encouraged teams to prepare for rule changes in the coming months.
Among the ideas being considered are limiting first-round pick protections, freezing lottery odds at the trade deadline, expanding the lottery to include all play-in teams, basing lottery odds on two-year records, and flattening odds across lottery teams.
Additional proposals could prevent teams from drafting in the top four in consecutive years or after repeated bottom-three finishes.
League discussions with owners and executives have intensified since December, when the concepts were first introduced.
During All-Star Weekend, Silver said tanking had grown “worse this year than we’ve seen in recent memory.”
The NBA recently fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for resting healthy players, while Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia criticized tanking on X, calling it “much worse than any prop bet scandal.”
NBA Informs GMs League Planning Rule Overhaul To Combat Tanking https://t.co/VsRVY5gnmT
— RealGM (@RealGM) February 20, 2026
