NBA teams don’t generally like to tank. It’s a last resort. At the same time, it can be addictive.
After all, the lottery is a form of gambling. In theory, a team could tank for a decade, and they’d almost certainly assemble the best collection of prospects the league has ever seen.
It would just come at the expense of their team culture, fanbase, and in all likelihood, the very rules that allow them to do it.
At some point, Adam Silver would likely step in on that situation.
By contrast, the San Antonio Spurs aren’t even close to altering league rules. This is the first season in which we can really say they’re tanking. Could it be the last?
If they acquired Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, it probably would be.