Article Content:<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Losing behavior done by losers\u2019: Suns owner Ishbia condemns tanking in NBA<\/p>\n
Andy Romike, Cronkite News
\nFebruary 19, 2026<\/p>\n
PHOENIX \u2013 As the 2026 NBA Draft draws near, many teams at the bottom of the league\u2019s standings have already decided to punt this season and tank games. On Thursday, Suns owner Mat Ishbia condemned that practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cTanking is a losing behavior done by losers.\u201d Ishbia posted on his X account. \u201cPurposely losing is something nobody should want to be associated with. Embarrassing for the league and for the organizations. \u2026 Purposely shutting down players and purposely losing games is a disgrace and impacts the integrity of the whole league.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2026 draft class is being touted as one of the strongest in recent memory, with top-end talent consisting of Kansas\u2019 Darryn Peterson, BYU\u2019s AJ Dybantsa and Duke\u2019s Cameron Boozer, so it\u2019s no surprise that teams are already looking ahead to the draft.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While every team hopes to land a top pick, some have already taken strides to separate themselves from the pack. Not by pulling ahead, but by falling behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The idea of tanking, or intentionally trying to lose games to increase one\u2019s chances of getting a higher draft pick, has long been a practice in the NBA.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Typically, bad teams will refrain from overtly tanking until the final few weeks of the season, though this season, several teams have shown signs of tanking with two months remaining in the regular season. Because of this, a new wave of social media discourse has arisen about the ethics of losing on purpose \u2013 a discourse that Ishbia joined.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To tank or not to tank: That is the question<\/p>\n
Cardinals | 2025 season+<\/p>\n
The process: The Cardinals shut down QB Kyler Murray in early December for the remainder of the 2025 season due to a persistent foot injury sustained in Week 5. He missed the team\u2019s final 12 games in which they went 1-11.<\/p>\n
Did they call it tanking? No, but some analysts felt Murray could have returned. Then-coach Jonathan Gannon insisted Murray\u2019s continued absence was health related.<\/p>\n
How did it work out? TBD. The Cardinals have the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in April. While trade rumors continue to swirl around Murray and his costly contract, early projections from NFL Draft analysts do not have the Cardinals selecting a QB in a draft poor on elite QB talent.<\/p>\n
Coyotes | 2020-21 season+<\/p>\n
The process: GM Bill Armstrong told local reporters that he planned to strip the roster by trading veterans in order to acquire draft assets. That process also ensured that the talent-poor team would draft high.<\/p>\n
Did they call it tanking? Not specifically, but Armstrong was incredibly transparent in telling the fan base and local media that the team would have to endure several seasons of pain in order to build sustainable success.<\/p>\n
How did it work out? The Coyotes relocated to Salt Lake City after the 2023-24 season, so not well for Valley fans. But Armstrong\u2019s plan is bearing fruit. The Utah Mammoth is 30-23-4 at the Olympic break and currently sits in the first wild card playoff spot in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n
Suns | 2015-16 season+<\/p>\n
The process: The exact starting point of the Suns\u2019 rebuild is a matter of perspective. Some will say it began when they traded two-time MVP Steve Nash after the 2011-12 season. Some say it began when they traded Goran Dragic and Isiah Thomas during the 2014-15 season. Some say it was when they announced \u201cThe Timeline\u201d in 2017. Whatever your take, the Suns missed the playoffs for a franchise-record 10 straight seasons before 2015 draft pick Devin Booker helped lead them back to the postseason.<\/p>\n
Did they call it tanking? Not specifically, but everyone locally knew what was happening. More than any other North American pro sport, NBA success is predicated on having one or two superstars. By and large, you need to draft those players, and they are only found at the top of the draft where bad teams pick.<\/p>\n
How did it work out? The Suns went to the NBA Finals in 2021 and had a 2-0 lead in the series on the Milwaukee Bucks before Giannis Antetokounmpo\u00a0led Milwaukee to four straight wins and the title. The following season, Phoenix led the Western Conference with a 64-28 record but flamed out in the second round of the playoffs against Dallas. They haven\u2019t tasted anything close to that fleeting success since.<\/p>\n
Over time, the league has made efforts to disincentivize tanking, from implementing a draft lottery in 1985, to restructuring the lottery odds several times. Despite the numerous efforts made to dissuade teams from bottoming out, many fans feel that the prevalence of tanking is at an all-time high \u2013 something that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has also taken note of and discouraged.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is talk about every possible remedy now to stop this behavior,\u201d Silver told reporters at the NBA All-Star Game. \u201cIt’s something that we’ve been spending a lot of time on with our competition committee, outside consultants, advanced analytics. \u2026 What we’re doing, what we’re seeing right now is not working. There’s no question about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recently, Silver fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for roster-management decisions. These fines came after Utah rested star players Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the fourth quarter of a close game, and Indiana held out star Pascal Siakam for \u201crest,\u201d when no injury was reported to the league offices.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both of these teams own the rights to their own 2026 first-round picks, and with both teams hoping to land a blue-chip prospect, it seems that they have already decided to embrace the tank and rack up as many losses as they can as the season progresses.<\/p>\n
One notable advocate for tanking is Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban, who on Tuesday, took to X to explain why believes that the NBA should \u201cembrace\u201d tanking.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe NBA has been misguided (in) thinking that fans want to see their teams compete every night with a chance to win,\u201d Cuban wrote. \u201cIt\u2019s never been that way.\u00a0 \u2026 Fans know their team can\u2019t win every game. They know only one team can win a ring. What fans that care about their team\u2019s record want is hope. Hope they will get better and have a chance to compete for the playoffs and then maybe a ring.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one way to get closer to (hope) is via the draft. And trades. And (salary cap) room. You have a better chance of improving via all three when you tank. (The Mavericks) didn\u2019t tank often. Only a few times over 23 years, but when we did, our fans appreciated it. And it got us to where we could improve, trade up to get (Luka Doncic) and improve our team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following multiple conference finals appearances under Doncic, the shocking trade that sent him to the Lakers in February 2025 effectively reset the Mavericks to a position where tanking was deemed viable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Mavericks won the draft lottery in 2025, landing the highly-touted Cooper Flagg with the first overall pick. Despite Flagg being the favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 2026, the Mavericks\u2019 season has been headlined by injuries and disappointing losses. This has once again incentivized Dallas to become one of the losers of the NBA and attempt to maximize the value of their 2026 first-round pick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One team, however, that does not own the rights to its own first-round pick is the Suns, who included a 2026 pick swap as part of the trade to acquire Bradley Beal from the Wizards in 2023. This means that the Suns have no incentive to tank this season, which may be a factor in the differing opinions held by Ishbia and Cuban.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is much worse than any prop bet scandal,\u201d Ishbia said. \u201cThis is throwing games strategically. Horrible for fans that pay to watch and cheer on their team. And horrible for all the real teams that are competing for playoff spots. Awful behavior that (NBA commissioner) Adam Silver and the NBA will need to stop with massive changes, and I have complete confidence that with his leadership, he will fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n
This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.<\/p>\n
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