Is tanking in December bad for the NBA?


Today begins the early stages of trade season in the NBA. Players who signed during the 2024 offseason are now eligable for trades. Several contendering NBA teams are now in the mix for trade upgrades to their playoff caliber rosters. The question becomes why would a team sell players with over 50 games remaining in the 2024-2025 season. The answer is simple: to tank. The NBA 2025 draft lottery is 5 months away but that wont stop many NBA general managers from selling high or low. Rebuilding NBA teams have a chance to impact their draft lottery odds by selling as soon as possible. Selling early often leads to impacting the number of game losses. For example, the Golden State Warriors traded multiple future second round picks and injured guard Deanthony Melton for Brooklyn Nets point guard Dennis Schroder. The Nets made this trade to impact their season’s tank, while gaining assets for the future. They are now essentialy waving the white flag and no longer foccusing on winning games. Tanking teams often lack competitiveness once veteran players are moved in trades. It may not be an issue if only one or two teams are blatantly tanking but what if many teams follow in their footprints. The 2025 NBA draft is expected to feature generational talent from Cooper Flagg to Dylan Harper to Ace Bailey. Could early season tanking lead to an uncompetitive NBA season? Should NBA teams face fines if the tanking leads to obvious thrown games. It is only December but it feels like more trades will be on the horizon at a fast pace.

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