SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has an idea as to how fix the tanking epidemic that has engulfed the NBA this season.
Over the course of a postgame conversation that started when Green was asked about his feelings on the Warriors’ upcoming Play-In game appearance, the subject turned to the tanking problem that has engulfed the league for months. Green, one of the most outspoken player voices in the NBA, was asked if he thought there was any solution to the problem.
The 36-year-old thought about the question for a few moments and then answered.
“I think I get fined when I do wrong,” Green said after a 110-105 win over the Sacramento Kings. “Just fine the hell out of people. We love taking money from players, keep fining the teams. I’ve seen two fines. And we all know everybody tanking. But you’ve seen two fines.”
Green was referring to the Utah Jazz’s $500,000 fine for “conduct detrimental to the league,” after they removed several of their best players down the stretch of two games in February. The league also fined the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for violating the Player Participation Policy in a game against the Jazz on Feb. 3. Green believes the league should do a better job of fining teams when tanking appears.
“If it was players (the league) would have snatched that money in a heartbeat,” Green continued. “Why isn’t it the same? Everybody love money. The punishment for players is always, let’s take the money. Well, now it becomes time to punish teams and all of a sudden nobody don’t know what to do. Why not? We know exactly what to do when somebody gets a technical foul. Or suspended for a game. We know exactly what to do.”
The subject of tanking has dominated the second half of the season, especially as teams prepare to make selections from a much lauded class of 2026 prospects. Green’s answer on the issue continued as he thought more about his idea.
“All of a sudden we got team issues, we don’t know what to do,” Green said. “What happened to the whole take the money stuff? Everybody else trying to reach a quota too. But when it comes to player discipline, we want to snatch the money as fast as we can. When it comes to team discipline and we see 12 teams tanking, we’ve seen two fines. If my math serves me correctly, that’s ten that ain’t been fined. Just some quick math. It could be wrong so don’t judge me if it’s wrong.
“But we don’t keep that same energy when it comes to teams, when it comes to officials, when it comes to everybody but players, we don’t keep that same energy. But this is a players’ league.”
Green’s comments came after he’d offered a strong opinion about the Play-In Tournament.
“I think it worked initially, and now to have a team stuck in 10th, it ain’t working,” Green said. “So we could have lost our last 15 games and been stuck in 10th, it ain’t working. It worked for a little bit, but if you can be stuck in 10th and lose the last 15 games of your season, and you can be stuck in 10th, it ain’t working.”
The Warriors, who are 10th in the Western Conference with a 37-42 record, have known they are headed to the Play-In for weeks. All of the teams behind them in the Western Conference standings are either bad or have been tanking, and in some cases, both.
“I think the Play-In was made for teams to not tank,” Green said. “I think that’s the part that everyone forgets. The Play-In came about to make teams like maybe through 12 or 13th keep going. They ain’t keep going. They kinda slowed down, and then they hit the brakes.”
To emphasize his point, Green recalled a sequence late in Tuesday’s win over the Kings.
“I saw a team tonight foul Seth Curry with three minutes to go in a game for no reason,” Green said. “In the penalty. (The Play-In) ain’t working. But we’re gonna make the (postseason) so it works, I guess.”
Green and the Warriors have been resigned to their basketball fate for some time, which Green acknowledged doesn’t excite him much given their continued appearances in the Play-In games.
“It’s not exciting,” Green said. “It’s not. But I’m a competitor, so going into the game I’m going to do all I can to win, but it’s not that exciting.”
After winning four NBA championships during his career, Green said the idea of getting revved up for a Play-In game just doesn’t have the same appeal — even if winning two would earn the Warriors another entrance into the playoffs.
“You go on the road in a game that you need to win I think, as a competitor, you’re going to rise to the challenge,” Green said. “But I’m not going to sleep (Wednesday) night like, man, we got this Play-In next week, I got to get my rest. Nah, it ain’t that exciting.”