NBA Teams Ramp Up Their Tanking Efforts Ahead of All-Star Break

NBA teams are throwing in the towel in early February with the hopes of securing a top pick in the 2026 NBA draft, which features Kansas’s Darryn Peterson, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, and Duke’s Cameron Boozer. 

The Jazz, who have the sixth-best odds currently for the No. 1 pick with a record of 17–37, are the latest team to face tanking allegations, despite being aggressive at the trade deadline by acquiring Jaren Jackson Jr.

Utah’s last three games were all decided by fewer than five points, but its stars have not been on the court in the final minutes. Lauri Markkanen, who averages a team-high 26.9 points per game, did not play in any of the fourth quarters. Jackson made his Jazz debut on Feb. 7 against the Magic, scoring 22 points and helping the team take a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter. He was then pulled, and the Jazz lost by three.

Utah’s apparent tanking reached new heights Monday. Head coach Will Hardy removed Jackson, Markkanen, and Jusuf Nurkić from the game, but the Jazz won, defeating the Heat 115–111. Hardy was asked how close he was to putting Jackson and Markkanen back into the game in the fourth quarter. His answer: “I wasn’t.”

His postgame comments are the first time he has said what’s become an open secret. Utah is tanking and isn’t trying to hide it. 

Miami center Bam Adebayo spoke with reporters after the game, taking a clear stand on whether the Jazz are trying to tank. “We’ve got to find a way to win even against teams that, I guess you could say, are trying to lose,” he said.

Utah is not alone in its efforts. The Nets, who are 15–37, waived pending free agent Cam Thomas despite him being second on the team in points per game. Additionally, Brooklyn did not play two of its best players, Michael Porter Jr. and Egor Dëmin, during Monday’s game against the Bulls, potentially indicating a sign of what’s to come. 

The Wizards have also drawn attention for being very cautious with Trae Young and Anthony Davis. Washington acquired Young on Jan. 7, but the point guard has yet to make his debut with the team due to a right quad contusion. Shortly after the team traded for Davis, it was reported that he’s expected to sit out the remainder of the season to recover from hand and groin injuries. 

GM Will Dawkins added to the speculation of the Wizards potentially tanking, making comments about the draft Monday. “Hopefully the lottery gods have our favor and we can add another high-level young talent in June,” he said. Dawkins did not rule out either player for the season, however, saying both Young and Davis will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break (Feb. 13–18). 

A team that has an incentive to ramp up its tanking efforts is the Pacers. Indiana has the second-worst record in the NBA at 13–40, but it would lose its pick to the Clippers if it falls in the 5–9 range as a result of the Ivica Zubac trade. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to fans if Indiana benches players like Zubac and Pascal Siakam through the team’s final 29 games. 

The NBA’s most recent effort to combat tanking came in 2019, when the league implemented changes to the draft lottery that reduced the worst three teams’ odds for the No. 1 pick to 14%. ESPN insider Shams Charania reported in December that the NBA was looking into new ways to combat tanking, which will be a hot topic throughout the rest of the regular season. 

The NBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.