GMs Float Nuclear Option to Kill Tanking: Ban Bottom 3 From Top Picks

One NBA general manager floated what can only be described as the nuclear option: make the bottom three teams completely ineligible for the No. 1 pick. You finish 28th, 29th, or 30th? You literally cannot get the top selection. Period.

The league found this too extreme, but the fact that it was even discussed tells you how fed up executives are with the tanking epidemic. The Memphis Grizzlies literally listed 15 players on the injury report heading into a key "tank battle" against the Jazz. At some point, the league has to admit the current system incentivizes losing.

The proposal gaining the most traction would expand the lottery to 18 teams and give the bottom 10 teams equal odds (8% each) at the top pick — removing the advantage of being the absolute worst. The Board of Governors votes on May 28, with any changes taking effect no earlier than 2027. But with Cooper Flagg entering the draft this year and teams clearly tanking for position, the pressure to act has never been higher.