The NBA reportedly has set a date to officially address the league’s longstanding problem of tanking.
During Wednesday’s episode of NBA Today, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the league’s Board of Governors is expected to vote on anti-tanking rule change proposals on May 28.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced last month that it was “unanimous” among owners at a previous Board of Governors meeting that the league needs to amend its tanking rules and implement the changes before the 2026 NBA draft on June 22.
“We are going to fix it… full stop,” Silver told reporters at the time.
Charania previously reported that there are three rule change proposals under consideration: flattened odds in the draft lottery for 18 teams, 22 lottery teams ranked according to their record across two seasons, and a “five-by-five” method in which teams with the five worst records would then all have the same odds, with them descending from there.
On Wednesday, Charania reported that “the proposed concept with the most momentum right now” is the first proposal. The flattened odds across the board could help deter teams from jockeying for last place in hopes of improving their odds in the draft lottery. Still, it was noted that this won’t be a quick fix, and the league will try to settle on the best option for all.
“They’re gonna continue to discuss ideas and figure out some kind of holistic approach,” Charania explained. “There’s gonna be unintended consequences to all of this, there’s not a perfect solution.”