NBA commissioner Adam Silver mentioned on Saturday that the league is considering stricter penalties for teams that appear to be intentionally losing games, known as tanking.
When asked if the league has thought about removing draft picks from teams that tank, Silver replied that this option is indeed being discussed.
“We are exploring all possible solutions to address this issue,” Silver told the media.
This statement follows a recent incident where both the Utah Jazz and the Indiana Pacers received fines for their tanking efforts. The Jazz were particularly unhappy about the penalty, although their intentions have been obvious in recent matchups.
A possible solution to deter tanking could be to remove draft picks, which would significantly impact teams. However, proving tanking can be challenging. Silver recognizes that imposing fines on wealthy team owners is unlikely to solve this ongoing problem.