NBA Proposes Fix That Rewards Teams for Winning Games

The NBA might have finally found a way to stop teams from deliberately losing games to get better draft picks.

A longtime league executive has proposed a simple but powerful solution: after the All-Star break, wins would improve lottery odds instead of losses. Teams currently tank by losing as many games as possible to land higher picks, but this system would flip that incentive halfway through the season.

The proposal comes as tanking has reached new levels this year. The Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, and Utah Jazz all made trades for star players, then promptly shut them down with questionable injuries. Indiana's newly acquired center Ivica Zubac played 15 of 16 games before the trade but suddenly couldn't play after joining the Pacers.

Utah's situation was even more obvious. After the Jazz acquired Jaren Jackson Jr. in a blockbuster trade, they played him briefly, got fined $500,000 for suspicious playing time decisions, then shut him down for the season with knee surgery.

Commissioner Adam Silver mentioned "incentives" five times during his All-Star weekend press conference about tanking. He acknowledged the current system encourages the exact opposite behavior the league wants.

Why This Inspires

This proposal doesn't just discourage losing. It actively rewards winning.

Looking at last season's standings, the system would have dramatically reshuffled the lottery order. The Toronto Raptors would have jumped from seventh to second in lottery odds because they kept winning games. Meanwhile, teams like Utah and Philadelphia, which went a combined 8-48 after the All-Star break, would have plummeted in the standings.

The beauty of the plan is that truly struggling teams wouldn't be punished. A team like Washington, which went 9-45 before the break last season, would still land a top spot even with modest post-break improvements.

The proposal addresses a problem that's hurting everyone. Fans buy tickets expecting to see new stars play, only to watch them sit on the bench in street clothes. Young players on tanking teams learn that losing is acceptable.

One Eastern Conference executive summed it up perfectly: "Until the league changes the system, teams are going to continue to lose if that's the best way to get players."

The NBA has tried tweaking lottery odds before, but nothing has stopped determined tankers. This proposal offers something different: a reason to actually try winning. Teams would need to make a real choice at the All-Star break about whether their season is truly lost or if they should push for victories that could land them a franchise-changing player.

Silver and league officials are clearly listening, and the timing feels right for bold change.