The NBA desperately wants to address tanking, and a quick glance at the standings shows exactly why.
In what is an absolutely remarkable stat, the bottom 10 teams in the NBA enter Wednesday’s action on a collective 40-game losing streak. I’ve listed that group below from worst record to best.
|
Team |
Record |
Streak |
|---|---|---|
|
Sacramento Kings |
14-49 |
Lost 2 |
|
Brooklyn Nets |
15-46 |
Lost 9 |
|
Indiana Pacers |
15-46 |
Lost 6 |
|
Washington Wizards |
16-45 |
Lost 6 |
|
Utah Jazz |
18-43 |
Lost 6 |
|
New Orleans Pelicans |
19-44 |
Lost 2 |
|
Dallas Mavericks |
21-40 |
Lost 4 |
|
Memphis Grizzlies |
23-37 |
Lost 1 |
|
Chicago Bulls |
25-37 |
Lost 1 |
|
Milwaukee Bucks |
26-34 |
Lost 3 |
That’s truly remarkable. And, for fun, if you expand it to the bottom 11, the losing streak extends to 42 courtesy of the Trail Blazers. There’s a reason the NBA is poised to introduce anti-tanking rules for next season.
The NBA already slapped the Jazz with a $500,000 fine for sitting their stars during a close game. While that was a severe penalty, it probably won’t be enough to deter teams.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has acknowledged that tanking has been far worse this season and the eye test confirms that—as do the teams’ records.
Last season, five teams finished with a winning percentage below .400. This year, eight are currently below the mark, and the Bulls (.403) are flirting with that line. As recently as the 2022-23 season, only four teams finished below .400.
The 2026 draft should be deep at the top, with Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Duke forward Cameron Boozer and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson getting the most buzz.
The question remains: Is tanking actually worth it? During the 2024-25 season, the Jazz (17-65), Wizards (18-64) and Hornets (19-63) finished with the three worst records in the league. Charlotte wound up selecting fourth, Utah landed the fifth pick and the Wizards wound up with No. 6.
It certainly didn’t work out the way those teams expected, though the Hornets are likely very happy to have landed sharpshooter Kon Knueppel, who is having an excellent rookie season. Ace Bailey has been solid for the Jazz and Tre Johnson has been decent for the Wizards as well. Still, none of those teams wound up with Cooper Flagg, who was the top prize last year. Instead, he went to the Dallas Mavericks, who won the lottery despite having a 1.8% chance.
Unlike in the NFL or MLB, tanking in basketball doesn’t always lead to the intended outcome.
NBA lottery odds
For the worst three teams in the NBA, the reward for tanking is a 14% chance at landing the top pick in the draft via the lottery. They also each have a 52.1% chance of landing a top-four pick. Those three bottom teams all have the same chances in the lottery, and odds for teams further down (or up) the standings diminish from there. The fourth-worst team has a 12.5% shot at the top pick and a 48.1% chance at landing inside the top four. The best non-playoff team winds up having a 0.5% chance at landing the No. 1 pick.
As of now, the Kings, Pacers and Nets all have an equal shot at landing the top pick, but they have company chasing them closely. The Washington is only one game out of the bottom three, and Utah and New Orleans are only three games out. It will take some serious tanking for anyone else to threaten to break into the top three spots.
The league wants to address tanking, and the need for action has never been more urgent than it is right now.