Mark Cuban Says NBA Should ‘Embrace Tanking'
The NBA is enjoying positive attention after a successful revamp of the All-Star Game, but a problem with the regular season has the league taking notice of certain teams.
Allegations of teams "tanking" - intentionally losing or trying to lose games in order to earn a more favorable draft pick - are at an all-time high. Two teams were recently fined for what the NBA considered egregious examples of tanking, sitting players who were otherwise healthy and able to compete.
The NBA has fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 related to the management of their rosters for recent games.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 13, 2026
"Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games," said commissioner Adam Silver, referencing the fines issued to the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers before the All-Star break.
Some fans have criticized the league and Silver for not doing enough to solve the tanking problem, but one prominent former owner says the NBA should consider a different approach.
Mark Cuban on Tanking in the NBA
"The NBA has been misguided thinking that fans want to see their teams compete every night with a chance to win. It’s never been that way," said former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban on social media.
"When I got into the nba, they thought they were in the basketball business. They aren’t. They are in the business of creating experiences for fans."
Why the NBA should embrace tanking -
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) February 17, 2026
The NBA has kate been misguided thinking that fans want to see their teams compete every night with a chance to win. It’s never been that way that way.
When I got into the nba, they thought they were in the basketball business. They…
Cuban says that most fans aren't attached to the outcome of a single game, and are simply enjoying the experience of NBA basketball. On a larger scale, he asserts that those same fans want to have hope that their team can eventually compete for a championship, and that the best ways to set the team up for success are the draft, trades and free agency.
"You have a better chance of improving via all 3 , when you tank," he added. Cuban then said that the Mavericks tanked "a few times" during his time as majority owner, and that doing so allowed them to acquire the capital necessary to trade up and draft Luka Doncic.
Cuban said that the NBA should focus on fan experience and "pricing fans out of games" instead of tanking, because families simply aren't able to take their children to see their favorite players.
Cuban's Personal Issue With NBA Regulations
In another message, Cuban said that the NBA's method of fining teams and punishing them for tanking means that teams are forced to lie to their fans about the team's chances for success.
"Finally, the worst [expletive] that the nba dishes out, is that if you don’t lie to your fans about what you are doing , even though it’s obvious to them , you get fined. And the threaten you with losing picks," he said.
During All-Star Weekend, Silver said that the NBA would examine "every possible remedy" to curb tanking, and that taking draft picks from teams who don't comply is a possibility.
As the NBA continues to analyze and address the integrity of the game on a nightly basis, it seems that others like Cuban would prefer to see the league examine affordability and access for fans and their families.