NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed the league considered implementing a relegation system mimicking European football to discourage teams from losing games.
The NBA league office has put teams on notice as they attempt to monitor potential tanking ahead of the 2023 draft. Silver has spoken a number of times on the league’s efforts to minimise tanking as teams may want to improve their draft lottery position to better place themselves in the running for projected first pick Victor Wembanyama.
Tanking is when teams purposely lose in the short term, usually over a season, to obtain higher picks in the NBA Draft which will ultimately help them pick the best young talents who will lead them to long-term success. Silver has made a number of changes to try and combat tanking, including altering the odds in the lottery.
