NBA Considers Anti Tanking Rules After Hawks Mavericks

Merlin sees the NBA exploring rule changes to deter tanking, reports Shams Charania. Governors discussed tweaks to draft pick protections, the lottery and other measures aimed at teams that "deliberately manipulate their rosters down the stretch of a season in order to land a higher pick or a protection range." If adopted, the ideas would change late season lineup choices and trade calculus and try to keep regular season games meaningful. Merlin recalls tanking grew after the 2019 lottery change, when the three worst teams now share 14 percent odds at No. 1 and outsiders like Atlanta and Dallas still landed top picks. The league must help true rebuilds while removing clear incentives to lose, so expect targeted rules that protect genuine reconstruction but penalize obvious roster manipulation.