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What Austin Ainge said about the NBA’s proposed anti-tanking solutions
TL;DR
Austin Ainge, president of basketball operations for the Utah Jazz, discussed recent dialogues with the NBA regarding proposed changes to combat tanking. NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced plans for a special meeting and vote on these changes in May.
President of basketball operations for the Utah Jazz Austin Ainge watches from the sidelines during an NBA Salt Lake City Summer League game between the Utah Jazz and the Memphis Grizzlies at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 7, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Tanking was a hot-button issue during this NBA season and the Utah Jazz became the poster child for the team that was taking advantage of the current incentivization structure within the league.
Recently, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that the league would be making changes this offseason to curb tanking, with a special meeting and vote slated for sometime in May.
“It’s been a really interesting few weeks. We’ve had a lot of dialog with the NBA and with other teams. In the NBA we’re competitors, but we’re also partners, and so we’ve had a lot of interesting discussions. There’s some really good ideas and proposals out there. We’re still trying to narrow those all down as a group.”
Utah Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge
A number of anti-tanking solutions have been reported as having been bandied about during league board of governors and general managers meetings.
On Monday, I asked Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge what he thought about some of the proposed solutions and how discussions have been going.
“It’s been a really interesting few weeks,” Ainge said. “We’ve had a lot of dialog with the NBA and with other teams. In the NBA we’re competitors, but we’re also partners, and so we’ve had a lot of interesting discussions. There’s some really good ideas and proposals out there. We’re still trying to narrow those all down as a group.”
Though Ainge wouldn’t get into specifics about the proposals and whether he believed they would hurt non-destination teams, he said that he believed that the conversations across the league were heading in the right direction.
“We had a good general managers meeting, and then there’s been countless calls and texts and spreadsheets sent back and forth with things between teams,” he said. “I’m optimistic that the NBA is pushing us in the right direction, and that we’ll have a solution that (is) looking at short-term and long-term solutions.”
Silver said that the expectation is for a new structure to be voted on this offseason and implemented for the following year, so that the 2027 draft would operate under the new structure, whatever that turns out to be.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks at a press conference before the NBA All-Star Skills Challenge at Vivint Arena Saturday Feb. 18, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Q&A
What are the NBA's proposed solutions to prevent tanking?
The NBA is considering various proposals aimed at curbing tanking, with discussions ongoing among teams and league officials.
When will the NBA vote on the anti-tanking measures?
The NBA plans to hold a special meeting and vote on the proposed anti-tanking measures sometime in May.
Why is tanking a significant issue for the Utah Jazz?
Tanking has become a hot-button issue for the Utah Jazz as they have been perceived as taking advantage of the current incentivization structure in the league.
