Overview
- The Suns owner labeled tanking “losing behavior done by losers,” urged “massive changes,” and said he has complete confidence in Adam Silver to fix the issue.
- His comments follow recent league penalties, including a $500,000 fine for the Jazz over fourth‑quarter player usage and a $100,000 fine for the Pacers for holding out healthy players.
- Adam Silver said tanking has been worse than in recent memory and signaled options up to forfeiture of draft picks as the Competition Committee reviews lottery mechanics.
- The ownership ranks are split, with Mark Cuban recently arguing the NBA should embrace tanking, highlighting a deepening rift over competitive incentives.
- Phoenix cannot benefit from intentional losing this season because it does not control its own first‑round pick until 2032 after prior trades.