NBA’s Tanking Dilemma Is No Longer Subtle - And It’s Starting to Undermine the Game
What played out in Salt Lake City on Monday night wasn’t just a head-scratcher - it was a flashing red light for the NBA.
The Utah Jazz, fresh off a strong three quarters against the Miami Heat, looked poised to notch a win. They had been owning the paint, using their size and physicality to control both ends of the floor.
Jaren Jackson Jr., the team’s headline acquisition just a week ago, had 22 points in 25 minutes. Lauri Markkanen added 17 in under 25 minutes of action.
Jusuf Nurkić was a force on the glass, pulling down 16 boards to go with 10 points.
And then… all three sat. The entire fourth quarter.
With the game still hanging in the balance, head coach Will Hardy kept his top contributors glued to the bench. No injury designations.
No foul trouble. Just a strategic choice - one that raised more than a few eyebrows around the league.
To be clear, Utah still managed to sneak out a 115-111 win, thanks in part to Miami’s own late-game struggles. But that’s not the point.
This wasn’t an isolated incident - it was the second straight game the Jazz employed this approach. And based on Hardy’s postgame comments, it looks like we should expect more of the same.
When asked how close he was to bringing Jackson or Markkanen back in the fourth, Hardy didn’t mince words: “I wasn’t.”
That’s where things get uncomfortable. Because while resting players is part of modern NBA strategy, this felt like something else entirely.
Something more deliberate. Something that calls into question the very spirit of competition.
The Draft Pick Factor
There’s a key detail here that can’t be ignored: Utah’s 2026 first-round pick is top-eight protected. If they finish with one of the league’s eight worst records, they keep the pick.
If not, it goes to Oklahoma City. That kind of protection creates a clear incentive - one that’s hard to ignore when you’re hovering near the bottom of the standings at 17-37.
And Utah’s not alone.
The Washington Wizards, sitting at 14-38, made waves by acquiring Anthony Davis and Trae Young - two players with 14 combined All-Star nods - in what looked like win-now moves. But both stars were injured at the time of the trades, and their return timelines remain murky at best.
A recent report suggested Davis may not return at all this season due to hand and groin injuries. Young is nursing a sprained knee, and there’s no clear timetable for his comeback either.
Wizards GM Will Dawkins addressed the Davis situation, saying he’ll continue rehabbing in Dallas and be reevaluated after the All-Star break. The original return timeline?
Four to six weeks. Dawkins now says it’s closer to 10.
That’s a big shift.
Washington, like Utah, has been rolling out younger lineups, especially against fellow lottery-bound teams. And yes - their 2026 first-round pick is also top-eight protected.
The Tanking Trend Is Spreading
The Indiana Pacers, sitting at 13-40, traded for Ivica Zubac, who had been playing consistently for the Clippers before stepping away for the birth of his child. But despite being active in nine straight games before the trade, Zubac’s debut in Indiana is on hold due to a sprained ankle - an injury that hadn’t appeared on any prior reports.
Indiana’s pick? Protected for picks 1-4 and 10-30.
Brooklyn waived Cam Thomas after failing to find a trade partner, signaling a shift toward youth development and, perhaps, a quiet tank.
The Bucks, Mavericks, and Kings are all in precarious spots as well. Milwaukee may slow-play Giannis Antetokounmpo’s recovery from a calf strain.
Dallas could do the same with Kyrie Irving and his torn ACL. Sacramento, at 12-43, seems adrift without a clear direction.
In each case, the combination of injuries, draft protections, and roster decisions paints a picture of teams subtly - or not so subtly - positioning themselves for lottery luck.
Why It Matters
This isn’t just about ping-pong balls and draft odds. It’s about the ripple effects across the league.
When teams start manipulating outcomes - whether by resting healthy players or delaying returns - it impacts playoff races. It skews seeding.
It creates uneven matchups. And it undermines the integrity of the regular season.
The NBA has tried to address this with its player participation policy, which requires teams to play their stars regularly. But Utah’s approach has exposed a loophole: start your stars, then sit them when it matters most. Technically compliant, but clearly against the spirit of the rule.
As Heat center Bam Adebayo put it after the loss: “We’ve got to find a way to win against teams that are, I guess you can say, trying to lose.”
The Stakes Are Higher Than Ever
With the rise of sports betting and fantasy markets, the stakes go beyond just wins and losses. When fans and bettors can’t trust that teams are competing honestly, the whole ecosystem gets shaky. The NBA isn’t just selling games - it’s selling trust in the product.
The All-Star break offers a window for Commissioner Adam Silver and league executives to regroup. But make no mistake: this is a growing issue. If the league doesn’t act decisively, tanking will continue to spread - and fans will notice.
Because at the end of the day, if teams aren’t trying to win, why play the games? And if fans can’t believe in what they’re watching, why tune in at all?
This isn’t just about one coach or one team. It’s about the future of competitive basketball - and whether the NBA is willing to protect it.