"This is ridiculous! Tanking is losing behavior done by losers. Purposely losing is something nobody should want to be associated with. Embarrassing for the league and for the organizations. And the talk about this as a "strategy" is ridiculous. If you are a bad team, you get a good pick. That makes sense. But purposely shutting down players and purposely losing games is a disgrace and impacts the integrity of whole league."
"Because of trades made since Ishbia took control of the team in 2023, the Suns couldn't benefit from strategically tanking. Phoenix does not have control of its own first-round pick until 2032. During his All-Star Weekend news conference, Silver said tanking has been "worse this year than we've seen in recent memory" and that the league is looking at options, including taking away draft picks, as a possible mediation."
Tanking refers to deliberately resting players and losing games to improve draft position. Multiple teams were fined before the All-Star break for sitting players, highlighting the issue. Public criticism frames purposeful losing as embarrassing and damaging to the league’s integrity. The commissioner described current tanking as worse than in recent memory and the league is exploring penalties, including removing draft picks. The Phoenix Suns cannot benefit from strategic tanking because their own first-round pick is controlled by other teams through trades until 2032. Debate centers on balancing short-term interests with preserving competitive fairness.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]