The Sacramento Kings aren’t the only team with aspirations of obtaining a high draft pick this summer–not by a long shot.
As Sacramento enters the All-Star break on a franchise-record-tying 14-game losing streak, more teams around the NBA have unofficially waved the white flag as they look towards a loaded 2026 NBA Draft.
Aside from the NBA-worst Kings (12-44), the Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, and Brooklyn Nets are all in the mix to have strong odds of securing the top draft pick in May’s draft lottery.
While a rebuild may be exactly what a team like Sacramento needs to establish a new core, is it concerning that so many teams are all but calling it a season before the All-Star break?
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The NBA’s tanking problem may have reached a new low this season, at least in terms of how widespread it has become. While there have been more blatant examples in the past, the current landscape feels different — and arguably worse.
The Athletic‘s Sam Amick joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross to share his thoughts on where things stand for the league and tanking as we enter the break.
“This might be recency bias, but it does feel like the worst we’ve seen,” Amick said. “We’ve seen individual tank jobs that were more egregious, obviously the Sixers and their famous Process.”
What separates this era from previous ones, Amick explained, is the sheer volume of teams engaging in some form of intentional losing. Rather than a handful of franchises bottoming out, the league now resembles a full-blown race to the bottom–or top, in this case, of the Tankathon odds standings.
“This is so many teams,” Amick continued. “It’s like a race to the bottom, in spite of the flattening of the odds.”
The flattened lottery odds were designed to discourage tanking by reducing the advantage of finishing with the league’s worst record. Yet even with that change, the behavior persists — and the results back it up.
(Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
“The worst team hasn’t gotten the first pick since the system was changed, and nobody seems to care,” Amick said.
To Amick’s point, Sactown Sports’ Brenden Nunes laid out that same fact earlier this week:
In 2019, the Knicks had the best odds and fell to third as the Pelicans (7th-best odds) and Grizzlies (8th) leapfrogged them into first and second.
One year later, Golden State had the worst record and finished second, while the Timberwolves (3rd) earned the first pick. The 2021 lottery was more tame as Detroit (2nd best odds) ended up first, the only team to surpass the Rockets, who owned the worst record.
It was a somewhat similar story in 2022, as the worst-seeded Rockets fell to third, while Orlando (2nd) and Oklahoma City (4th) jumped to the first two spots.
But in the three most recent seasons, the team with the worst record has walked away from the lottery with their worst possible outcome, the fifth overall pick. So, since the NBA flattened its lottery odds, the team with the worst record has yet to come away with the first pick in the lottery. Here’s a simpler look at how the top four picks have panned out.
Sactown Sports’ Brenden Nunes – February 10, 2026
That reality, Amick noted, is becoming a major talking point around the league and among media members, with broader implications for the product itself.
“That’s definitely going to be a topic of discussion,” Amick continued. “It’s a big deal because your casual NBA fan doesn’t even realize that roughly 30 percent of the games right now aren’t on a level playing field.
“They’ve got to do something, here. It’s loud,” Amick added. “There’s going to be change coming.”
Check out the full interview with The Athletic‘s Sam Amick by scrolling to the top of the page or by clicking here.
Listen to The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross from 6 – 10 a.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140.
Click here for full episodes of The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross
More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
The Sacramento Kings will return from the All-Star break on Thursday, February 19th, and face the Orlando Magic at Golden 1 Center.
Last season, Orlando swept the season series vs. Sacramento (2-0).
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Orlando Magic action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 5:30 PM PT on Game Night before a 7:00 pm PT tip-off from downtown Sacramento.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Thursday, February 19th vs. Orlando Magic – 7:00 PM PT
Saturday, February 21st @ San Antonio Spurs – 5:00 PM PT
Monday, February 23rd @ Memphis Grizzlies – 5:00 PM PT
Wednesday, February 25th – @ Houston Rockets – 5:00 PM PT
Thursday, February 26th @ Dallas Mavericks – 5:30 PM PT
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