The NBA has devised a set of new rules that are meant to curtail tanking — aka losing on purpose to secure a higher draft pick the following season — in the league. While tanking is tough to prove (there are a lot of reasons why a team might not be performing well, and most of them have nothing to do with how talented a team is), suspecting that a team is intentionally sabotaging themselves is a frustrating experience for fans (and probably other teams).
The new rules will go into effect for the 2027 draft and will run through 2029. At that time, the league will evaluate if the rules are actually working — which could also give the WNBA the opportunity to implement a similar set of expectations.
What the new NBA anti-tanking rules say
The rules state that teams that don't make the playoffs will all get three lottery balls for the next year's draft — unless they are one of the bottom three teams. Those teams will get two lottery balls, and so will the four play-in teams. On top of that, the eigth seed from each conference gets one lottery ball.
The new rules also state that teams can no longer have back-to-back number one draft picks and can no longer have top five draft picks in three consecutive drafts. That applies even if the team already owns the pick.
The rules are being praised as a big win for fans, who have been among the most vocal critics of tanking.
How the NBA's new tanking rules could impact the WNBA
While the WNBA has not made a similar announcement or rule change, it's entirely possible that the league might consider doing so if the rules appear to work for the NBA. Each season there are rumors and stories that one team or another is tanking to have a shot at grabbing a top draft pick, but those rumors aren't always based on anything other than someone's assumption.
There are a lot of reasons why a good team may not be living up to expectations that have nothing to do with intentional sabotage. Sometimes a team's performance is impacted by injuries that derail plans and goals — something we saw a lot of last season, and that we're already seeing so far this year. One needs only look at the Chicago Sky, who started off the 2026 season strong and who are currently contending with injuries and illnesses that are making it harder for the team to succeed.
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